Chicago Has a Great Lake

John Massey created these posters in 1966 for Container Corporation of America (CCA) as part of the Chicago Cultural Communication Project. Its aim was “to provide the city of Chicago with a consistent series of brilliant and unusual posters calling attention to the many cultural and recreational facilities available to its population.”
In the mid-20th century the CCA played an influential role in disseminating modernist graphic design through its advertising. These designs celebrating Lake Michigan and the neighborhood Lincoln Park allow us to understand how corporate branding shaped the image of Chicago but also how the qualities of the city itself influenced marketing strategies.