Studio News

Featured in Restaurant Development & Design: Dimmi Dimmi’s Story Comes to Life
Press Ash Cottrell Press Ash Cottrell

Featured in Restaurant Development & Design: Dimmi Dimmi’s Story Comes to Life

Dimmi Dimmi, Cornerstone’s newest neighborhood Italian concept, was profiled in the November/December issue of Restaurant Development + Design magazine.

The profile celebrates a project brought to life through collaboration between HiFi Brands, Siren Betty Design, Cornerstone Restaurant Group, and an exceptional group of builders, artisans, and creative partners.

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Foundry Park: Naming + Branding Chicago’s Next Great Neighborhood
Press Allison Rosenwinkel Press Allison Rosenwinkel

Foundry Park: Naming + Branding Chicago’s Next Great Neighborhood

HiFi Brands collaborated with JDL Development and Kayne Anderson Real Estate to name and brand Foundry Park, a major new mixed-use development on Chicago’s North Branch riverfront. Rooted in deep research into the neighborhood’s history and industrial past, our team explored hundreds of naming options before landing on the one that felt both authentic and forward-looking.

Foundry Park sits on a 53-acre stretch of riverfront that will connect Lincoln Park, Bucktown, and Lakeview through new residences, retail, green space, and modern workplace environments. As one of the most significant redevelopment projects in Chicago, it needed a name and identity with substance — something that could honor the site’s legacy while signaling its future.

Naming was the starting point. “Foundry Park” evokes Chicago’s industrial heritage and anchors the development in a story of craft, resilience, and reinvention. From that foundation, HiFi created a full visual identity system: modern yet timeless typography, a palette inspired by steel, stone, and the riverfront landscape, and a logo designed for long-term flexibility across signage, web, and environmental applications.

The goal was simple: build a brand that feels like it has always belonged here. Understated, credible, and deeply Chicago — not a commercial façade, but a neighborhood with character and staying power.

Foundry Park is poised to become a true destination to live, work, gather, and grow. HiFi Brands is proud to have shaped the name and brand identity for this transformative Chicago development, and we look forward to seeing the neighborhood take shape along the river.

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Maxwells Trading: ‘Best New Restaurant of 2024’ According to Eater Magazine
Press Ash Cottrell Press Ash Cottrell

Maxwells Trading: ‘Best New Restaurant of 2024’ According to Eater Magazine

The Eater Awards provide Chicago with an annual opportunity to celebrate the restaurants and hospitality professionals who truly make an impact. These are the venues that blaze new trails, bring innovation, and enrich the city's dining fabric with color and texture—proving that a great restaurant requires more than just vibes.

With delicious food, thoughtful service, and Chicago's signature self-determination, these establishments embody what makes the local dining scene extraordinary.

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How (good) Branding Drives Hospitality Revenue – Allison Rosenwinkel on the Joiners Podcast: Episode 115
Press Ash Cottrell Press Ash Cottrell

How (good) Branding Drives Hospitality Revenue – Allison Rosenwinkel on the Joiners Podcast: Episode 115

Allison Rosenwinkel is much more than a design consultant — she’s a brand therapist. Alongside her business partner and husband, Paul Demyanovich, she co-founded and currently serves as the managing director of HiFi Brands. Together, they provide comprehensive, full-range brand strategy and a suite of design and branding solutions for a wide variety of clients in the hospitality industry and beyond. Their approach helps craftspeople and business owners integrate their stories in powerful, emotionally-resonant ways. Allison joins us in the studio this week to discuss the importance of being understated, the benefits and pitfalls of trends, the psychological underpinnings of menu design, and so much more.

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