For nearly a century, First Lady has offered Chicago’s most iconic waterway experience, with a storied history and an elegance befitting their reputation as the #1 boat tour in the country. But as the company looked to rethink its brand and designs and assert its status as a historic cultural institution, it partnered with local design studio Span to relaunch as First Lady – with a new identity, website, uniforms and even boat designs.

Founded in 1934 by Portuguese immigrant Art Agra, First Lady launched the city’s first lakefront cruise. In the decades that followed, they introduced Chicago’s first river tour, its first luxury charter vessel, and – most notably – in 1993, they partnered with the Chicago Architecture Center to operate the world-renowned Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady. But, in recent years, the Chicago river cruise industry has become a crowded sea, with significant brand confusion.

“Guests would say, ‘We loved the Chicago tour!’— genuine praise, but too generic. With climate-controlled salons, elegant interiors and welcoming staff, First Lady’s vessels set the standard for comfort and style,” explains Nick Adam, Associate Partner and Design Director at Span. “Yet despite this unmatched experience, the market was flattening the category – sinking distinctions between all the offerings on the water. Working closely with their team, we wanted to make their distinction unmistakable, strengthened their market position and renewed cultural relevance – all while honoring the legacy of excellence that has made them iconic. First-in-class, and now first in mind.”

Recognizing that brand confusion wasn’t a side issue, but the main issue, Span started to build differentiation with bold simplification – reclaiming their heritage of leadership by shortening the name “Chicago’s First Lady Cruises” to “First Lady.” “We wanted ‘First’ to speak to their unmatched legacy as the first river tour. But it also signals that their service is first-in-class – with the best-maintained vessels, the most knowledgeable docents, and a tour that architects can take their visiting friends on,” says Adam. “Meanwhile, ‘Lady’ evokes elegance, care and distinction – the very qualities that define their experience.”

Elsewhere, the visual identity builds on that strategic clarity. The logotype, lettering, ornamentation and color palette go beyond nostalgia, while also echoing architects like Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the city’s long-standing dialogue between ornament and modernism. The new logo draws from architectural lettering found on early 20th-century Chicago buildings – merging Victorian curves, Prairie-style symmetry, Art Nouveau grace and Art Deco precision, in a typographic expression of the city’s vibrant design history. At its heart is a custom swash numeral “1”, flowing like waves and wind, which seamlessly integrates into the logotype or stands alone as a singular, iconic monogram.

Other design considerations took into account the complexity of an important canvas – the 9 boats in First Lady’s fleet. “Boats – especially large, 100-foot-long vessels designed for 200 sightseers – present a lot of visual interruptions like safety equipment, benches, railings, stairwells, and gangways,” adds Adam. “It forced us to think dimensionally and respect the architecture of the vessel while letting the identity thread itself through the boat.”

The warm metallic tones of the identity were chosen to complement the rich wood and polished brass details present on board – an intentional gesture that ties past to present, function to form, nautical to narrative. Beyond the livery, Span considered the full passenger experience – from dock to deck. The crew were reimagined as brand ambassadors themselves, with uniforms redesigned to echo the sophistication of the vessel and to feel both contemporary and maritime – professional, yet personal. Every touchpoint was treated as an opportunity to deepen the story, and to make the experience not just seen, but felt.

For Span, the First Lady project was much more than a branding exercise, but a strategic reset. “This was a moment to cut through a sea of sameness and help First Lady claim their rightful place – not just as the first, but as the one and only,” says Adam. “This isn’t about boat decoration. It’s about anchoring a brand in a true story of heritage and charting a course for the future.”