As cultural and creative explorers, we are always following our interests in the pursuit of new inspiration. Recently, we discovered there are lessons to be learned in genre-bending lectures, from celebrated poet and classicist Anne Carson, who gave three such lectures at the University of
If you live in Chicago, or any urban area for that matter, you’re familiar with the stigma associated with the words “street art.” Although the term was coined to describe a new type of vandalism that surfaced with the invention of spray paint, street art
Otherwise Principal and Chief Brand Strategist Nancy Lerner was in London, flipping through the International Edition of the New York Times when she was struck by a bizarre coincidence in the Culture section’s cover story. The story in question was “The rebirth of a Modernist
Last Sunday, an Audrey Hepburn marathon played on Turner Classic Movies network — the second film to play was Funny Face (1957). In the film’s iconic scene, Audrey Hepburn’s character, Jo Stockton, perches on a long, wooden library ladder, head tilted so far
Have you ever seen a phone that appears to be an address book? What about a computer designed to look like a row of books? These explorations exist; they are the outcome of a philosophy in design known as product semantics. The term product semantics
At Otherwise, we know a tagline does the lion’s share of the talking in brand identity — literally. A name and logo can draw a person in, but the taglines we create answer their questions about an organization: Who are you? What do you
Ask a graphic designer their thoughts on “design thinking” and you might get a blank stare in response. To them, it’s akin to asking, “how does your brain work?” But in 1959, design thinking was a novel idea when the phrase was coined as an
Of all the elements of design, typography is unarguably one of the most important; a carefully-chosen, well-tailored typeface sets fantastic design apart from the mundane or mediocre. Amidst a handful of iconic typefaces, Helvetica stands in a league of its own. Originally designed in 1957
According to a recent report by the National Endowment for the Arts, participation in the arts contributes to the social-emotional development of children by introducing them to concepts through collaborative activities such as dance, theater and visual arts and crafts. At Lycée Français de Chicago,
Just last week, Pantone announced that it’s Color of The Year for 2019 is Living Coral, which, as it names suggests, emulates the warm and radiant colors found within the underwater ecosystem of coral reefs. Colors like Living Coral that occur within nature, often serve
