Nick Adam Design Director
Chicago

Nick Adam, Design Director Associate Partner, Span

Nick(at)Span.Studio

Chicago, South Side, 47th Street

South Side Sanctuary — Visual Identity
Nature Museum — Visual Brand Identity
2024 Chicago Lowrider Festival — Exhibition Design

Nick Adam is a Design Director and Associate Partner at Span. He is a strategic, values-driven graphic designer in Chicago with over two decades of experience in building brands. Nick’s body of work reflects his commitment to the public realm, diverse cultures, and communities.

Nick has a reputation for exquisite typography and craft that is concept-driven, direct, and resonant. His work is distinguished by his ability to navigate complexity, budgets, and institutional bureaucracy while elevating deliverables to be memorable and inspiring.

Clients appreciate Nick’s inclusive process, which strengthens outcomes. As a design leader, Nick guides teams and clients in designing brand identities, books, environments, and interactive touch-points that shift culture, generate value, and foster advocacy.

Slow & Low — Book Design

Copi: Rebranding an Invasive Fish as a Healthy Seafood Option

Chicago Lowrider Festival — Exhibition Design

Divvy Bikes — Naming and Visual Brand Identity

South Side Home Movie Project — Website Design and Visual Brand Identity

It is currently the

Graphic design

Services

Book Design
Brand Identity Design
Campaign Design
Environmental Design
Exhibition Design
Interactive Design
Naming
Package Design
Design Research
Visualization

In the media

Press

Print, 2024
Brand New, 2024
Crain’s, 2024
GD USA, 2024
Wired, 2023
Fast Company, 2023
The Dieline, 2023
Creative Boom, 2022
Smithsonian Magazine, 2022
The Economist, 2022
Ad Age, June 22nd 2022

Interviews

Creative Boom, May 2024
Creative Boom, April 2024
New City, 2023
Print, Daily Heller, 2023
Communication Arts, 2022
Print, Daily Heller, 2022
Underscore Podcast, 2022

Additional press here

International recognition

Awards

AIGA 365, 2024
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2023 (2×)
Anthem Awards for Sustainability & Climate, 2023
AIGA 365, 2022
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2022 (2×)
Communication Arts, Interactive Short List, 2022
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2021 (5×)
AIGA, 50 Books 50 Covers, 2021
Tokyo Type Directors Award, 2021 (2×)
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2020 (2×)
Communication Arts, Typography, 2020
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2019 (2×)
The Design Kids, Top Students and Graduates, 2017
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2017 (4×)
Print Magazine, Regional Annual, 2016 (2×)
Society of Typographic Arts, STA100, 2016 (2×)
Type Directors Club, TDC61, 2015
Core77, Design Awards, Professional Notable, 2014
Under Consideration, FPO Awards, 2014
Fast Company, Innovation by Design, Finalist, 2014

Additional awards here

Permanent collections

Institutions

AIGA Design Archives
Art Institute of Chicago Museum
Chicago Design Archive
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Design of Dissent Collection at SVA
Design Museum of Chicago
Milton Glaser Design Center and Archives at SVA
Newberry Library
Manuscript Library at Columbia University
RISD Fleet Library Thesis Collection
Ryerson and Burnham Libraries

Additional honors here

Discovery Partners Institute — Visual Brand Identity and Program System

The Chicago Blend — Package Design

Nazareth University — Visual Brand Identity

Brand Identity Design 1981

Nick’s work has been published by The Economist, Smithsonian Magazine, NPR, and other outlets. In addition, projects Nick has led have been recognized by the TDC of New York, the Tokyo TDC, Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award, and Core77.

Prior to Span, Nick was an Associate Principal on Rick Valicenti’s team at Thirst. In addition, Nick has taught both typography and graphic design history at RISD. Earlier in his career, Nick held a hybrid design leadership role as Strategic Director at Firebelly.

Nick’s career in design began within the diverse, underground subcultures of the 1990’s punk rock, rave, and graffiti-writing scenes. These life experiences provide a foundational awareness of cultural nuance, identity, and visual language.

The Silver Room — Brand Campaign

Inflorescence — Visual Brand Identity and Packaging

Taste Tof Chicago — Visual Identity

The Silver Room — Visual Brand Identity and Merchandise

Hot Chi — Naming and Visual Identity

Nick Adam, Design Director
and Associate Partner at Span

New business inquiries
Nick(at)Span.Studio

Chicago, South Side
Kenwood Neighborhood

Copyright © 2024
Enjoy the day.

Social
IG@NickAdam
Linkedin

Nick Adam’s Complete CV

Have a project? Let’s work on it at Span.

Poetry Magazine — Cover Design and Lettering

Nkemdiche — Book Cover Design and Layout

The Arts Lawn — Visual Brand Identity

Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun — Poster Design

Over decades of experience

Experience

2003–2024

Design Director and Associate Partner, Span
Principal, Span
Associate Principal, Thirst (3st)
Instructor, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
Graduate Teaching Assistant, RISD
Strategic Director, Firebelly
Art Director and Designer, Publications International Limited (PIL)
Designer, Ala Carte Entertainment (ACE)
Junior Designer, Illinois Institute of Art (ILIA)

Volunteer

Mentorship

Design Director, Special Project for Design Museum of Chicago (DMoC)
Designer and Laborer, Creative Grounds at Overton
Design Director, Daylight

Lead, Great Ideas of Humanity at DMoC
Facilitator, Moving Design
Design Participant, Moving Design

Facilitator, Camp Firebelly
Volunteer, Reason to Give

Academic

Academic

Engagements

DePaul University, Guest Capstone Advisor
NC State College of Design, Expert Advisor
RISD, Visiting Critic
RISD, Instructor

RISD, Graduate Teaching Assistant
SAIC, Expert Advisor
School of Design at UIC, Guest Mentor
School of Visual Arts (SVA), Expert Advisor
Sam Fox, Guest Critic
Western Michigan University, Visiting Critic

Krueck Sexton Partners — Visual Identity Design

Chicago Cannabis Council — Visual Brand Identity

Society of Typographic Arts (STA) — Visual Identity Design and Campaign

Typeforce 4 — Exhibition Book Design

Rick Valicenti’s Earn Urn — Object Design and Lettering

Mentors

Dawn Hancock (Firebelly)
Rick Valicenti (Thirst)
Bethany Johns (RISD)
Doug Scott (RISD)

Membership

Caxton Club
Society of Typographic Arts
Typographic Circle
Design Museum of Chicago

Education

Masters of Fine Art (MFA) in Graphic Design
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Visual Communication
The Illinois Institute of Art (ILIA)

Have a project? Let’s work on it at Span.

WBEZ, Vocalo 91.1 FM — Visual Identity and Campaign

Design Museum of Chicago — Chicago Flag

No where near the end

Conferences and Workshops

Chicago Humanities, Documenting Lowrider Culture and Community (‘24)
Institute of Design, Design as Activism Symposium (‘24)
Chicago Design Archive, 20th Anniversary (‘23)
AIGA Salt Lake City, The 100 Show, Judge (‘23)
Design Museum of Chicago, Workshop Facilitator (‘23)
MIAD, Great Ideas of Humanity, Panelist (‘22)
First Round, Underconsidoration — Noodles Identity (‘19)
Typeforce 10, Co-Prosperity Sphere, Publicness (‘19)

Additional conferences and workshops here

Academic Lectures

DePaul University, Guest Lecturer, Capstone Advisor (‘24)
DAAP School of Design, Guest Lecturer (‘21)
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Guest Lecturer (‘21)
McHenry community college, Panelist (‘21)
College of Creative Studies (CCS), Guest Lecturer (‘21)
SAIC, Guest Lecturer (‘21)
MICA, Guest Lecturer (‘20)
San Fransisco University, Guest Lecturer (‘20)
Western Michigan University, Guest Lecturer (‘20)

Additional lectures here

Exhibitions

Kind Words 2, You Are Beautiful Gallery (‘23)

Great Ideas of Humanity, Chicago Cultural Center (‘23)

Field Days, Design Museum of Chicago (‘23)
You Are | I Am, You Are Beautiful Gallery (‘23)
Free and Open, Design Museum of Chicago (‘22)
Kind Words, You Are Beautiful Gallery (‘22)
Great Ideas of Humanity, Brooks Stevens Gallery (‘21)
Successful Failures, Chicago Cultural Center (‘21)

Additional exhibitions here

Chicago Graphic Design Club — Editorial Design

False Force — Exhibition Installation

Typeforce 3 — Exhibition Book Design

Nick Adam is a graphic designer focused on the power of identity. With the teams and clients he collaborates, he designs brand identities, interactive touch points, spaces, and processes that shift culture, build value, and create advocates.

You Are Beautiful — Book Design

McCormick Foundation — Freedom Express Bus Museum Design

Nick Adam, Chicago Design Director, © 2024

Nick(at)Span.Studio

Chicago, South Side, 47th Street

I the St.

Enjoy the day

Chicago Forever

Ithe St.