Otto Lucien Anton Spaeth Jr. died on January 13, 2021 at the age of 86 at his home in Rye, N.Y.
He was the loving husband of Ann Barringer for over 60 years. She survives him, as do their four daughters, Catherine, Jennifer, Bridget (Titus Abbott), and Crispin (Dale Sather); two grandsons, Bryn Hanover (Andrea) and Julian Abbott; and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Mimi Koon. He was predeceased by his siblings, Marna Doherty, Deborah Shakespeare Greene, and Anthony Bailey, his English foster brother.
Mr. Spaeth received an undergraduate degree in architecture at Princeton in 1955 and an MBA from Harvard in 1963. His contributions to the emerging field of corporate identity began in 1964. He was a firm believer in the use of design as a leadership tool, integrating the social ingenuity of corporations and the graphic arts in the process of naming and design.
Since 1990, as an independent voice, he mentored many of the next generation of designers and identity consultants. He collaborated internationally, and was invited to speak at conferences in Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Russia. He shared his expertise as a contributing author to “Across the Board” and gave generously of his concepts and strategy tools through his website for Identityworks and through the Corporate Brand Matrix.
Mr. Spaeth remained active in alumni public service initiatives. As an advisor to Princeton Project ’55 and a founding director and secretary of Partners of ’63, he contributed to a new paradigm in alumni mobilization and civic engagement.
He cherished progressive mid-century architecture, and his love of design extended to service in his community, as a longtime member of Rye’s Board of Architectural Review.
Donations in Tony Spaeth’s memory may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Anti-Racist Alliance.
