Nick Adam

Visual brand identity for 
the South Side Sanctuary



Design Studio

Span

 Clients

IAYV, The Nascent Group, 
South Side Sanctuary

Community

Non-Profit, Cultural, CivicServices

Branding, Environmental Signage

Credits

Nick Adam
Design Direction, Design

Kevin Moreland,
Motion Design

Project Partners

Cecilia Cuff
Founder, Developer

Future Firm
Architecture
Designed while at Span. Chicago’s new public park, South Side Sanctuary, revitalizes an unused parcel of land in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood. Founded by a diverse and innovative community of creatives, South Side Sanctuary transforms a vacant lot into a vibrant public park aimed at uniting and uplifting community members of all ages. Span collaborated with the founders to craft a dynamic visual identity that captures the essence and energy of the park.

The exuberant visual identity designed by Span reflects the form, expression, and movement in South Side Sanctuary’s intentionally inclusive architecture and the diverse activities of its visitors. Unlike most parks, South Side Sanctuary is built for pedestrians, skateboarders, roller-skaters, bicyclists, and wheelchair users alike. The logotype showcases custom typography with uniquely crafted letterforms that echo the geometry of the architecture and site plan. Designed for versatility, these letterforms can be oriented vertically for the beacon sign or horizontally for traditional applications, they also seamlessly uniting to form both a cross and an X. The bespoke stencil letterforms pay homage to Chicago artist Apache Wakefield’s historic Bronzeville bench, while the uppercase letters with descenders underscore the park uniqueness.

Span’s eclectic color palette was inspired by the park’s surroundings. Purple and green hues reflect the native-plant landscaping, while pink and teal come from nearby businesses. The Bronze tone is drawn from the four nearby statues that designate the area as Chicago's Blues District center. Additionally, historic and site-specific photographs from the Chicago History Museum’s Street Scenes on East 47th Street collection were selected by Future Firm, Span brought these images back to life with the distinctive color pairings. Throughout its extended visual language, the supportive typography utilizes expressive setting and the avant-garde alternates of Kilm’s The Future to maintain an expressive and dynamic character.

South Side Sanctuary was established through the Public Outdoor Plaza (POP!) program, a part of Mayor Johnson’s ongoing commitment to invest in Chicago. These plazas empower community-based organizations to revitalize underutilized land for recreation, performances, pop-up shops, gardening, and other neighborhood activities. The team at South Side Sanctuary, led by founders Cecilia Cuff and Jasmine Anwuli, architects Future Firm, and Nichole Humphry of Black Girls Shred, transformed a vacant lot into a hub for gathering, growth, and community engagement within Bronzeville, historically an area lacking in investment.





Nick Adam, Design Director 
and Associate Partner at Span.Studio

New business inquiries
Nick(at)Span.Studio


Chicago, South Side 
Kenwood Neighborhood

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