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Span (design firm)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Span
Company typeLLC
IndustryDesign
Founded2020; 4 years ago (2020) in Chicago, Illinois
FoundersJohn Pobojewski, Bud Rodecker
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois
Key people
  • Bud Rodecker (Founding Partner)
  • John Pobojewski (Founding Partner)
  • Nick Adam (Associate Partner)
Websitespan.studio

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]

Notable projects

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In 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

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  • Anthem Awards for Sustainability, Environment & Climate, 2023.[20]
  • AIGA 365, 2022.[21]
  • Society of Typographic Arts, STA 100, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.[22]
  • AIGA 365, 2024.[23]

Identities designed

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Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ Chicago Graphic Design Club January, 2022
  2. ^ Span site
  3. ^ Thirst announcement, Dec. 2019
  4. ^ Nick Adam Is Associate Partner/Design Director At Span Graphic Design USA May, 2023
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ To Hook American Diners an Invasive Species of Carp Gets a New Name, The Economist, June, 2022
  8. ^ America's Least Favourite Fish Gets a Rebrand, Creative Review, June 2022
  9. ^ Can rebranding invasive carp make it more appealing to eat, Smithsonian, June 2022"
  10. ^ From Carp to Copi, Unpopular fish gets a makeover, "U.S. News & World Report, June 2022"
  11. ^ "From ‘carp’ to ‘copi’: unpopular fish getting a makeover", apnews.com, June 22, 2022.]
  12. ^ New Logo and Identity for Chicago's RTA by Span, Brand New, December, 2022
  13. ^ Carbon neutral, Design Indaba, November, 2022
  14. ^ CooperHewitt.org
  15. ^ Epidemics - A Force for Life-Changing Innovation, New York Times, December, 2021
  16. ^ The Invasive Branding of Nazareth University, The Daily Heller / Print Magazine, August, 2023
  17. ^ Custom Type Anchors a Vibrant Identity for Chicago’s Newest Public Park, Print magazine, August, 2024
  18. ^ Span studio website
  19. ^ A new book by Span pays homage to lowrider culture, April, 2024
  20. ^ Anthem Awards site
  21. ^ AIGA 365 site
  22. ^ STA 100 site
  23. ^ [1]