Firms

A.C. McClurg & Co., a book publishing house and the first stationery business in Chicago, began in 1844 as W.W. Barlow & Co. Within five years of its establishment, the company underwent several transitions in ownership and partnership, with…

Established in 1914 as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA is the oldest professional organization devoted to design in the United States. Since its formation in New York, AIGA has grown to become one of the major professional associations…

esigners beyond Chicago and the Midwest, and its leadership began to include a mix of local and national board members. In 1989, as a result of this growth and enlarged geographic focus, STA changed its name to the American Center of Design (ACD).…

Built in 1924, the American Furniture Mart was a leader in home furnishings and innovative marketing in Chicago. Providing record square footage for the display of furniture manufactured by hundreds of factories from across the nation, the American…

Armour & Co., a meatpacking business, was established as Plankinton, Armour & Co. by John Plankinton (1820–1891) and Philip Danforth Armour (1832–1901) in 1863. Initially based in Milwaukee, the company saw tremendous growth during the…

The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is Ph.D.-granting private university in Chicago with programs in engineering, architecture, design, science, human sciences, applied technology, business, and law. One of the largest of its kind in the…

Perplexingly, apart from a briefarticlethat appeared in the March 1953 issueofPrint magazinesixty-three years ago, littledocumentationexistson the history and activities of the Art DirectorsClub of Chicago(ADCC). The article“European Influences on…