The Foundation for Historical Louisiana is changing the name it conducts business under and is getting a new logo as part of a rebranding effort that’s meant to better reflect its mission and reinvigorate the preservation community.
On paper, FHL will keep the legal name it has had since it was founded in 1963. But the organization will now do business as Preserve Louisiana. The new name and logo will be unveiled at the organization’s annual gala at the Old Governor’s Mansion on Thursday night.
“This name puts us more in line with our mission, which is to advocate for architectural and cultural heritage of Baton Rouge and Louisiana,” says the group’s executive director, Fairleigh Cook Jackson. “Besides, foundation was a very misleading term because that’s not really what we do.”
The name change has been in the works for more than a year—since before Jackson was hired in September 2015 to replace longtime executive director Carolyn Bennett. But the rebranding effort didn’t begin in earnest until earlier this year. The FHL board brainstormed several possible options for names and Preserve Louisiana was the favorite choice, Jackson says.
“We wanted a more active name,” she says, “something that would be a call to action.”
As for the logo, the board used crowdSPRING, an online marketplace for crowdsourced creative services. Creatives from all over the world submit work for potential clients on crowdSPRING. FHL chose the work of a graphic designer from Eastern Europe.
“I always prefer to hire local,” Jackson says. “But in this instance we wanted a set of fresh eyes, someone who was completely objective and didn’t have any preconceived ideas about who we are.”
The new logo incorporates elements of the transom above the entrance of the Old Governor’s Mansion, the organization’s headquarters. Jackson says the changes are designed in part to generate interest and excitement in the local preservation community.
—Stephanie Riegel
