Span is an American multidisciplinary studio in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in identity design, branding, exhibition design, environmental graphics, motion graphics, interactive design, and publications.[1][2] It was founded in 2020 by Bud Rodecker and John Pobojewski who both worked at the design studio Thirst with Rick Valicenti.[3] In 2023, Nick Adam became Associate Partner.[4]
 | |
| Company type | LLC |
|---|---|
| Industry | Design |
| Founded | 2020 in Chicago, Illinois |
| Founders | John Pobojewski, Bud Rodecker |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
Key people |
|
| Website | span |
Notable projects
editIn 2024, Span led the rebranding of one of Chicago's oldest institutions, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.[5] The studio used the prairie as a key design inspiration[6]
The rebrand of the invasive species of carps—which were widely referred to as Asian carp—as Copi,[7] along with the tagline “Eat Well. Do Good.”[8] The Copi renaming is a part of a Federal and state initiative to get the public to eat the invasive fish,[9] decrease its numbers in Midwestern waterways,[10] and prevent its introduction to the Great Lakes.[11]
The identity and brand identity system for Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority (Illinois).[12]
The short 3D animation/motion graphics films called Urban Sequoia -- about buildings that absorb carbon--which premiered at the UN Climate Change Conferences in 2021 and 2022.[13]
The exhibition graphics for Design and Healing: Creative Responses to Epidemics at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.[14][15]
The rebrand of and brand identity for New York state’s Nazareth University.[16]
The identity for Bronzeville, Chicago’s new public park, the South Side Sanctuary.[17]
Co-producing with Manual Cinema the puppetry + digital animation film, Countdown. [18]
Designing Slow & Low, a retrospective book of Chicago’s Lowrider community. [19]
Awards
editIdentities designed
edit-
Logo for Copi the new name for Asian carp -
The Copi food truck at the 2023 Illinois State Fair in Springfield Illinois -
Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority logo -
Identity for Nazareth University, rebranded as NAZ -
Identity for Chicago's Nature Museum
Further reading
edit- The Definitive Ranking of 2023s Best and Worst Branding, December, 2023, Fast Co Design
- To Hook American Diners an Invasive Species of Carp Gets a New Name, The Economist, June, 2022
- Save the Planet by Eating this Big Ugly Fish, March, 2023
- Merriam Webster Dictionary Copi Definition
- Asian carp rebranded as Copi to tackle US environmental crisis Design Week, December, 2022
- Span Designs Two Exhibitions in Celebration of Trees, Design Week, May, 2023
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources official launch with John Goss, Brian Jupiter and Span
- CooperHewitt.org Behind the Book Design
- How Good Design Promotes Good Health, Smithsonian Magazine, February, 2022
- New Chicago park identity reflects the rich history and culture of the city’s South Side, Creative Boom, August, 2024
- Right Before your Prairie Eyes, Brand New, May, 2024
- Where should you travel this summer? Let these city logos decide for you – interview with Bud Rodecker, July, 2024
- “Slow & Low Celebrates Chicago’s Vibrant Lowrider Culture, Print Magazine, May, 2024
References
edit- ^ Chicago Graphic Design Club January, 2022
- ^ Span site
- ^ Thirst announcement, Dec. 2019
- ^ Nick Adam Is Associate Partner/Design Director At Span Graphic Design USA May, 2023
- ^ Jay, Corli (25 April 2024). "The Nature Museum gets a brand makeover — its first in 20 years". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Bamford, Abbey (20 May 2024). "Span takes influence from Illinois's native prairies for Chicago's Nature Museum brand". Creative Boom. Creative Boom. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ To Hook American Diners an Invasive Species of Carp Gets a New Name, The Economist, June, 2022
- ^ America's Least Favourite Fish Gets a Rebrand, Creative Review, June 2022
- ^ Can rebranding invasive carp make it more appealing to eat, Smithsonian, June 2022"
- ^ From Carp to Copi, Unpopular fish gets a makeover, "U.S. News & World Report, June 2022"
- ^ "From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover", apnews.com, June 22, 2022.]
- ^ New Logo and Identity for Chicago's RTA by Span, Brand New, December, 2022
- ^ Carbon neutral, Design Indaba, November, 2022
- ^ CooperHewitt.org
- ^ Epidemics - A Force for Life-Changing Innovation, New York Times, December, 2021
- ^ The Invasive Branding of Nazareth University, The Daily Heller / Print Magazine, August, 2023
- ^ Custom Type Anchors a Vibrant Identity for Chicago’s Newest Public Park, Print magazine, August, 2024
- ^ Span studio website
- ^ A new book by Span pays homage to lowrider culture, April, 2024
- ^ Anthem Awards site
- ^ AIGA 365 site
- ^ STA 100 site
- ^ [1]