Nick Adam
Visual brand identity for
the 2024 Slow & Low,
Chicago Lowrider Festival
Span
Slow & Low, Chicago Lowrider Festival
Navy Pier
Cultural, Entertainment, Civic
Branding, Environmental Signage, Exhibition Design, Campaign, Print
Nick Adam
Design Direction, Design
Kevin Moreland
Design
Lauren M. Pacheco
Peter Kepha
Edward Magico Calderon
Curators
Ed Calderon
Max Herman
Nick Lipton
Katrina Nelken
Mike Pocious
Photographers
Founded in 2011 in Pilsen by curators Lauren M. Pacheco, Peter Kepha, and Edward Magico, 2024 marks Slow & Low’s third collaboration with Nick Adam’s team at Span, resulting in the festival’s most significant turnout yet, with over 15,000 visitors in a single day. Over the past three years, Navy Pier has been the iconic backdrop for Slow & Low, with car club members likening the experience to the “Grammys” of the lowrider community.
For the 2024 festival, Span collaborated closely with the curators to craft a gala-like visual identity. This process began with co-founder and curator Peter Kepha’s sketches of chain motifs in archway form, symbolizing growth and achievement—ideals central to Kepha’s life in the Chicano community.
The 2024 Slow & Low identity that Span designed amplifies a story of exquisite craftsmanship and celebration, drawing inspiration from the intricate artistry of lowrider culture. The typographic palette features a customized version of Lucas Sharp and Wei Huang’s blackletter typeface, Respira. Adding a layer of joyful elegance this scribe-like blackletter is complemented by Alejandro Paul’s Burgues Script, based on master calligrapher Louis Madarasz’s work. Rounding out the collection is Lucas Sharp’s limited edition Sharp Freehand, a calligraphic typeface inspired by the master letterer, Oscar Ogg and Sharp’s Greenstone that is connected to the tradition of tombstone carving. Together, from chains to script, the festival identity offers a striking, refined edge that mirrors the masterpieces showcased at Slow & Low.
Nick Adam, Design Director
and Associate Partner at Span.Studio
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Nick(at)Span.Studio
Chicago, South Side
Kenwood Neighborhood
Copyright © 2024
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