Nick Adam
Coffee bag packaging for Metropolis Coffee and the Design Museum of Chicago’s The Chicago Blend

“The checkered backdrop pays homage to Chicago’s modern metropolis roots, the grid system created by Edward Brennan and James Thompson. This is done in a graphic manner that nods to Thomas Miller’s iconic 7-Up package he designed at Goldsholl. The prominent squares denote the locations of Midway (MDW) and O'Hare (ORD) airports, resembling a map with the eastern boundary of Lake Michigan. The undulating lines of the lake draw inspiration from Susan Jackson Keig’s Aspen installation and the photograms György Kepes created after immigrating to Chicago.

The playful bubble letters spelling ‘Chicago’ find inspiration in two distinct sources: László Moholy-Nagy’s innovative South Prairie Avenue New Bauhaus school and the stylish, spray-painted names that grace the streets and trains of Chicago. Echoing the iconic ‘M’ of Metropolis Coffee’s branding, three spirited ‘M’s are lightheartedly rendered, referencing a range of Chicago aesthetics – from Oswald Cooper’s 1929 Cooper Fullface to John Massey’s sailboats and Pablo Picasso’s monumental 50-foot, cor-ten steel sculpture.

Even the smallest details have a thread pulled from Chicago’s fabric. The careful type-setting on the back of the bag emulates the style that Professor Emeritus Philip Burton affectionately terms “the zipper rag.” The reflective, metallic bag mirrors Tomoko Miho’s Great Architecture in Chicago poster that was silkscreened onto aluminized paper.” — Nick Adam