Even the most enthusiastic fans of serif typefaces changed their letterheads to Comic Sans after witnessing the twenty-foot-tall letters of a sign bearing the name of a certain real estate magnate and reality television impresario. The five letters shimmer in the sun, causing train operators on the northbound Wabash elevated tracks to avert their gaze, in modesty. At night, the LED letters illuminate a patch of the river, recalling the romance of moonlit serenades along the Canal Grande. Might it be too much to hope that the building’s facade will serve as canvas for other words, by way of art projects or public service announcements? To begin, we suggest adorning the building with the very qualities that characterize the public fracas over the sign’s current wording. If our advice is heeded, we might yet see Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride writ large.
Best of Chicago 2014
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