The Old Post Office

Gensler, 2020
Challenge: To celebrate the legacy of an iconic Chicago landmark.
Team: Senior Designer, Computational Designer, Fabricators
Role: Junior Designer

Through restoration and repositioning, the long-vacant Old Post Office in Chicago was recently brought back to life as a hub for businesses. Gensler was hired for various projects in the space: architecture, interior design, and branding.

site analysis

By observing the building’s iconic elements such as its facade, windows, lobby, corridors, tiles, equipment, ceiling and paint, we were able to capture a unique brand identity. We drew inspiration from the 1930’s, which is when the site was first opened, and developed a visual language based on those colours and typographic styles.

Paint + Colour

Typography

Equipment

Textures + Patterns

environmental graphics

We created environmental graphics that echo the site’s history and depict its purpose for the future. The designs coexist with the new interiors to create an elevated experience for tenants and visitors, reminding them of the legacy of the institution. We utilised elements related to the postal system such as zipcodes, postcards and stamps to build our designs, and generated randomised patterns to make them appear modern and abstract.