Design, Member News November 3, 2016
Joseph Alessio Flies the W
Bay Area ADC Member commemorates Cubs' World Series win
Last night, America took a collective break from the battle between Hillary and Donald to tune into a battle of a different sort: a World Series Game 7 between two teams whose championship droughts add up to before the Civil War. In the end, the Chicago Cubs outlasted the Cleveland Indians 8–7, sending Bill Murray and millions of drunken angels into fits of ecstasy.
San Francisco Bay-based designer, letterer and ADC Member Joseph Alessio watched the whole thing, with a surprising amount of interest for someone not based in the Windy City. “I’m primarily a Detroit fan, having grown up in the Detroit metro area, but my dad spent much of his childhood near Chicago, and was there for there 1969 season,” he explains. “That was a team that had incredibly high expectations and played well for most of the year until they suffered a spectacular collapse at the end of the season, another chapter in the legendary futility of the Cubs. I remember him telling me about the disappointment that every Cubs fan felt that year.”
So when the incredible series ended in such spectacular fashion last night, Joseph just knew he had to commemorate the magical moment with a design that riffed off the Cubs’ original badge-like branding from the late 1800s. “The Series was rife with storylines this year — the 108-year title drought in Wrigley, the drama of the series, David Ross’s retirement after hitting a home run in Game 7, the late Cleveland homer to tie it, unsung hero Ben Zobrist, the list goes on,” Joseph recalled. “All things considered, every baseball fan (aside from those in Cleveland) was a Cubs fan last night. It was a historic series and a historic game.”

Of course every great sports design is most at home on a T-shirt, and Joseph’s got that covered. Get yours now; it might be another century before this happens again.
Are you an ADC Member with a story to tell? A new project to share? An upcoming exhibition to highlight? Drop us a line at membernews@adcglobal.org. Not yet an ADC Member? Join today!
Tags: Joseph Alessio