Chicago Public Library: West Loop Branch

The experiential graphic design of the West Loop Library combines playful line work and uplifting quotes from famous works of literature to tell a cohesive story of the library and its role as a gathering place for the neighborhood.

The story begins at the entrance, which welcomes visitors with the words of Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet. In addition to serving as a central narrative feature for the space, the quote also serves as the inspiration for the words and stories that create a unified design for the library, from its weathered steel exterior to the warm spaces within.

A custom set of rotating “story blocks” were designed to encourage interactive educational play. The poles are set against a grey dry-erase wall encouraging children to tell their own story based on the images, with endless combinations and opportunities to imagine and talk, sing, read, write or play out their unique stories.

The colors and distinct line work throughout the interior represent how stories are borne by sound, sweeping around the children’s room and evolving as the design carries through the Tinkering Lab, YOUmedia space, and all-ages reading rooms. From a distance the lines appear to form a pattern, but a closer look reveals story lines embedded within. Each story line is drawn from a book found in the library, including 25 classic children’s books and 32 classic novels.

A warm, yet energetic color palette invites visitors to travel through time and space, while complimenting the exposed brick, walnut, and blackened steel interior. The subtle shift from deep yellow in the children’s space to a rich red in the adult areas visually embodies the transition from childhood to adulthood and beyond.