What’s The Big Idea?
How does that quote from Spiderman go?
Uncle Ben (forgive me Stan Lee) – “With great strength comes great responsibility.”
After visiting Chicago Design Museum’s current exhibition, Great Ideas of Humanity: Out of the Container. I left with a thought on this sentence, with one small twist:
With “great ideas comes great responsibility.”
With Great Ideas Come Great Responsibility (and the Amazing Chicago Design Museum Team)
Great Ideas of Western Man changed the rules of advertising. Focused on company ideology beyond commercial interest, it did not advertise product. It ran from 1950 through 1975, bringing attention to philosophy, politics, and morality.
Hold Up – Where Did This Start?
Glad you asked! Chicago-based Container Corporation of America: a global leader in paperboard manufacturing. According to the Chicago Design Museum website, “founder Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, had deep and personal passions for art, design, and culture.” This passion became a platform for artists and designers.
Posters On Display at Chicago Design Museum
Why is it Important?
Father of advertising, David Ogilvy, called Great Ideas of Western Man:
“the best corporate advertising ever to appear in print.”
Great Ideas of Western Man shook traditional advertising and explored creative possibility. For the first time, design took centerstage, beyond commercial purpose.
Cushing and Chicago Design Museum
Tanner Woodford is the Founder and Executive director at Chicago Design Museum (opened in 2012.) He has worked with Cushing for over six years. His reprise of Great Ideas brings together artists from Chicago and throughout the United States. A trip into the past that paves new ground, Great Ideas of Humanity: Out of the Container is a stunning initiative, full of color and creativity.
Powerful Posters on Display at Chicago Design Museum
What’s Next?
Cushing is Proud To Be Involved
Cushing was honored to assist with printing posters and we recently visited the exhibition to take photos.
Below (and above) are some of the incredible prints and artwork on display. You can see these in person RIGHT NOW!
Great Ideas of Humanity: Out of the Container runs through August 18, 2018.
So much to see throughout this exhibition.
Thoughtprovoking and eye-opening.
It is easy to get lost (in a great way), among the creative designs.
The exhibition features several Chicago artists.
James Goggin on Margaret Anderson
Jilly Simons on Gwendolyn Brooks
Deborah Stratman on Ida B. Wells
Jason Pickleman on Katharine Kuh
Geoff Adler on Carl Sandburg
Jonathan Solomon on Harriet Monroe
We hope you’ll visit and explore this amazing series!
More information here.
