Located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Vue53 is a mixed-use development with 267 apartments, amenities for residents, and retail space. The development team, Avison Young and Peak Campus, reached out to Media Objectives early in the project, enabling a more holistic approach to branding and design. Working together with the project team, including the architect Valerio Dewalt Train and Searl Lamaster Howe interiors, Media Objectives established the Vue53 logo, brand strategy, art direction, signage, and wayfinding design.
The project responds the site context in multiple ways. Taking inspiration from the vertical architectural elements of the building and their movement across the building façade, Media Objectives developed graphic patterns. These patterns became assets for the brand and are used in print, digital applications, and signage. The designers pulled bright blues and greens from the color palette of Nichols Park, across the street from the site. The additional use of black and white add a modern feel. With a location just up the street from University of Chicago, the designers kept the target market in mind, including students and staff at the University.
Early involvement in the design provided opportunities for integration with the building architecture. Patterning at glass draws attention to the exterior entrance. Custom letterforms have square proportions that enable use within a grid, such as the floating exterior Vue53 letters above the entrance doors. Rounded edges at letters give them a futuristic quality. At the reception desk in the lobby, custom laser cut graphics and letters are back-lit with white light. Wall graphics serve as decorative elements and assist with wayfinding through corridors. Media Objectives created temporary pop-up, leasing office, and construction signage for the project as well.
Project: Vue53
Location: Chicago, IL
Designer: Media Objectives
Architect: Valerio Dewalt Train
Interior Design: Searl Lamaster Howe
Fabricator: Poblocki Signs
Photographs: Noted above
