Solving /

Opportunity

ZeroZero

The Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture and Designed Objects at the Art Institute of Chicago is focused on the future of design. Each department, and the school as a whole develops polemical ideas and objects that constantly redefine art and design. While the school did have several publishing venues, there was not a trans-disciplinary publication of high curatorial quality.

Methods & Practices

Trope Collaborative was asked to explore the current landscapes of art and design publications and identify opportunities for the department to define a publication space. The name "zerozero" came up in a conversation and that became the starting point for exploring a unique identity that could conceptually package the notion of center and edge at that same time. 

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A point leads to a line, which leads to a plane. Since a point is a node, the "o" in Zero was used a central focal point. Up and down are amplified by the two words being flipped. To reduce the flat graphic nature, an etched line was added to the letterforms and the "o" etch line was offset to provide an illusion of dimension.

Impact & Outcome

This identity provided clarity of purpose for the proposed publication and aligned administration and staff to the mission of ZeroZero.