design Archives

The Butterfly Effect: Small Gestures, Big Weather

In 1961, meteorologist Edward Lorenz was running early computer simulations of weather patterns when he made a small change—rounding an input from 0.506127 to 0.506. To his surprise, the resulting forecast diverged dramatically from the original. This discovery led to his 1963 paper, Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow, and a poetic phrase that would eventually enter pop […]

Oct 26 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

Rethinking Order, Beauty, and Meaning Through Asymmetry

For centuries, symmetry functioned as both aesthetic preference and worldview. From the balanced forms of Greek temples to the mirrored ideal of the Vitruvian Man, symmetry stood as a proxy for truth, order, and divine proportion. The ancients called it symmetria — a mathematical harmony that reflected the cosmos itself. By the time of the […]

Sep 28 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Brandshrink

Metaphor as Our Sneak Path to Truth

Brand‑building is often framed as a linear exercise—logo, tagline, guidelines, launch—yet the lived experience of a brand is anything but linear. It is felt in heartbeats and muscle memory, in the quiet confidence of a good fit and the rush of belonging. To illuminate that multidimensional journey, we borrow from terrains that, at first glance, […]

Jul 23 2025 by Nancy Lerner in Editorials

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

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