Rainbow Room
The dining space on the 65th floor of 30 Rock reopens with an elegant identity.
A New York destination unlike any other, the Rainbow Room is the jewel in the crown of Rockefeller Center, the Art Deco masterpiece at the heart of midtown Manhattan. Located on the 65th floor of 30 Rock, the dining and entertainment space is in a glittering landmarked room with breathtaking 360-degree views of the New York skyline and beyond. The iconic venue reopened last week after a major renovation that reimagines the space with contemporary design. As part of the reopening, Pentagram’s Michael Gericke and his team have created an elegant new identity for the Rainbow Room that celebrates and pays tribute to its extraordinary style and spectacular vistas.
"The room, the views and the city below are grand, panoramic and timeless - so it was inevitable they are echoed in the identity," said Gericke of the wordmark. The designers carefully considered the relationship of the Rainbow Room's graphic program to Rockefeller Center's iconic architecture and signature typography.
Gericke and his team worked closely with Tishman Speyer, who own and manage Rockefeller Center, and Gabellini Sheppard, the project architects. Gericke and his team have also collaborated with Tishman Speyer on the advertising campaigns and graphic programs for Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock, the observation deck at 30 Rock.
The Rainbow Room has a long and illustrious history as one of New York’s most famous nightspots. Opened in 1934 and originally designed by the noted architect Wallace K. Harrison, the venue has a rotating dance floor with domed ceiling and crystal chandelier, and was conceived as an elegant club for dining and dancing shortly after the repeal of Prohibition. (The ballroom interior was landmarked in 2012.)
Created with rich, bespoke materials that complement the grandeur of the room, the elements of the identity include building graphics, menus, dining room accessories, packaging, advertising, and the Rainbow Room website.
Photography: Rockefeller Group Inc./Rockefeller Center Archives; Martin Seck; and Bart Barlow.
