The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is a nonprofit that helps people understand the value of good design. In 2023, they introduced a new photo competition as part of Open House Chicago, their annual citywide festival. Visitors were invited to take photos of architecture around the city and submit them in one of four categories: Interior, Exterior, Architectural Detail, and Black & White.

Span was asked to create the branding and exhibition graphics for the show, titled Framed Views. We developed a visual system that supported the photographs without distracting from them. The design included a title wall, didactic panels, and object labels. We kept the layout simple and consistent, so that the story of the exhibition—the way Chicagoans see their city—could come through.

The show highlighted the work of finalists and winners selected by a panel of photographers and architecture experts. It marked a new kind of exhibition for CAC—one shaped by the public—and gave the competition a simple visual presence in the galleries.