chicago creative agency Archives

Branding as Time Travel

At Otherwise, while exploring metaphors that allow us to look at branding from new angles. we’ve recently been intrigued by a set of studies in cognitive science suggesting that the human brain processes language and music in fundamentally different ways—each tuned to time, but in strikingly different registers. When we process language, we read (or […]

Nov 18 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Brandshrink

Branding in the Fifth Dimension: A Metaphysical Guide to Multi-Layered Meaning

At Otherwise, we’ve always been drawn to the spaces between disciplines — where metaphor becomes method, and strategy is stretched through unfamiliar dimensions. So today, we ask: What if a brand isn’t a flat identity, but a dimensional construct? It’s easy to think of a brand as a surface: a logo, a voice, a palette, […]

Jul 6 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

Quantum Branding: A Strange and Beautiful Framework for Modern Brands

At Otherwise, we’re always searching for unexpected connections — the kind of surprising metaphors that make ideas shimmer with new meaning. For us, creativity begins not with answers, but with questions that stretch across disciplines: What might quantum physics teach us about branding? What happens when we apply the language of particles, waves, and uncertainty […]

Jun 30 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

Creating Conditions to Embrace Change: Rebranding Kiser Group

Amidst the tumult of rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions, the mid-market multifamily market has weathered the storm, offering property owners and investors stable occupancy rates, rent growth, and impressive returns. This resilience is mirrored in the journey of Kiser Group, a leader in the multifamily mid-market space, particularly within Chicago and […]

Apr 15 2024 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

What does web3 have to do with museum membership?

What does web3 have to do with museum membership? Actually, everything. Across the cultural not-for-profit ecosystem, membership is a painful subject. While membership has the limitless potential to nurture (and benefit from) deep engagement with an institution’s patrons, its conventional role has been to solicit patrons for annual contributions — in exchange for often lackluster […]

Dec 12 2022 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials