Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • About
    A group of people in front of a CDA banner.
    • About the Archive
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners and Sponsors
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Designers
    • Firms
    • Clients
    • Dates
    • Project Types
    • Special Collections
  • Programming
    Programming
    • Events
  • Education
    Education
    • Education Toolbox
    • Essays
    • Resources
  • Submit
    Submit
    • Submit Your Work
  • Support
    Support
    • Support the CDA
Home

Main navigation

  • About
    A group of people in front of a CDA banner.
  • Collections
    Collections
  • Programming
    Programming
  • Education
    Education
  • Submit
    Submit
  • Support
    Support

Main navigation

  • About
    A group of people in front of a CDA banner.
    • About the Archive
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners and Sponsors
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Designers
    • Firms
    • Clients
    • Dates
    • Project Types
    • Special Collections
  • Programming
    Programming
    • Events
  • Education
    Education
    • Education Toolbox
    • Essays
    • Resources
  • Submit
    Submit
    • Submit Your Work
  • Support
    Support
    • Support the CDA

Design Essays

Black and white photograph of a man with a serious expression, wearing a dark turtleneck and necklaces, framed by concentric black and white circles.
Laini (Sylvia) Abernathy

by Lara Allison

Chicago logo featuring a red six-pointed star and a blue rectangle.
The Chicago Design System

by Jason Kunesh

White spiral design with orange dots on a black background.
Chicago Design Milestones

by Sharon Oiga, Guy Villa Jr, and Daria Tsoupikova

Black and white illustration of various objects including a guitar, tennis racket, pipe, and fruits, arranged to form the silhouette of a human profile.
The Container Corporation of America and Graphic Design in Chicago

by Alicja Zelazko

Vintage graphic with radial text listing names and addresses, centering around a large stylized number 27 on a beige background. The text reads "Chicago Designers" below the number.
Selling Design: 27 Chicago Designers 1936–1991

by Lara Allison

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Policies
  • Rights

© 2002–2025 Chicago Design Archive. All rights reserved.