The Basement - Our Archive of Branding, Graphic Design & Advertising Projects

2100 Condominium

The far South Loop was rough-and-tumble in 2004 when we took on 2100 – a vintage building with a contemporary new-build addition that became a hybrid project with both condominium and rental residences. Taking full advantage of the interplay between old and new, we built a sophisticated yet approachable brand experience aimed at those who enjoyed the opportunity to be first to adopt emerging neighborhoods.

Details

Do you believe that great identity design withstands the test of time? We do. The DETAILS visual identity system is a case in point. Designed in 1989 by Otherwise principal/founder David Frej, this simple, beautiful mark launched Steelcase’s worktools & accessories business and remained in use — untouched for more than 25 years — until Steelcase revamped its corporate identity system several years ago. In addition to the award-winning identity system, Otherwise helped launch the brand with a full suite of creative support — including packaging, collateral and showroom design.

Brill Street

Otherwise helped Brill Street + Company become Corporate America’s point of access to high-performing emerging professionals. We kicked off our work in 2007, when Brill Street launched their successful intern workforce company. As their branding and marketing partner every step of the way, Brill Street springboarded from a startup venture conceived by Otherwise founders David Frej and Nancy Lerner to profitability in multiple office locations.

Orbitz Popup Ads

As digital agency of record for Orbitz during its first four years in existence, Otherwise pioneered and perfected the art of the interactive popup ad. From crazy games like Pluck the Chicken to dynamic ads that served up live fares, we conceived, designed, programmed and optimized thousands of these pesky ads, driving tens and thousands of transactions for the upstart online travel site.

Motor Row

Flash back to 2006 when the Chicago residential real estate market was exuberant, and developers, buyers and investors were dipping toes into the historic Motor Row neighborhood on the city’s near south side. Here, we built the Motor Row brand for a luxury contemporary 94-unit condominium project, using the visual vernacular of a sleek race car — from the refined hood ornament-like identity to the use of glossy red — to bring attention back to the building and the neighborhood.

Lycée Français de Chicago

As part of the founding team of Lycée Français, Nancy Lerner and David Frej deployed Otherwise’s full complement of brand creation expertise to launch and support the school for nearly 15 years, from designing book plates and report cards to conceiving the prestigious Artist in Residence program and branding the school’s intermural sports program, the Flames.

NEXT Art Fair

Bringing a world-class contemporary art fair back to Chicago began in 2008 with the launch of NEXT, The Invitational Exhibition of Emerging Art that was held at the Merchandise Mart. And to combat the challenging layout of the showfloor that was likely to discourage galleries from participating, we chose to celebrate this unusual shape to create the brand and marketing program.

Third Coast International Audio Festival

In 1999, after two decades of working as a producer at WBEZ, Johanna Zorn had the idea of creating the first festival in the United States to celebrate audio storytelling as an art form. In 2001, a talented producer named Julie Shapiro joined Zorn in co-founding what would become the Third Coast International Audio Festival, and for the next 6 years, Otherwise collaborated with TCIAF to design and produce the brand campaigns for the individual annual festivals.

Ten East Delaware

Modern Elegance in the Heart of the Gold Coast. This positioning set the stage for a comprehensive, integrated branding campaign for the luxury residences at Ten East Delaware. Unrivaled in stature and location back in 2006 (before the real estate market collapse), we breathed life into the brand with the combination of rich sepia photography and sophisticated typography to create sumptuous, seductive ad campaigns, brochures, construction barricades, website and more.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences

As The Ritz-Carlton Residences came on the market in 2011 on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, Otherwise found new ways to explore uncharted dimensions of refinement and connoisseurship. Fanciful, outrageous, warm and gorgeous were the ideas that spawned the creative campaigns.