The Strip Club
Challenge
A&A Studios had spent nearly two decades building something rare. A genuine craft reputation in Chicago's photo booth world. Restoring vintage machines. Placing booths globally. Creating analog experiences that felt intentional in an increasingly digital culture. When founders Andrea and Anthony Vizzari decided to open their first public studio in Bucktown, the expertise was already there. What they needed was a brand that could match it. A name, a positioning, and an identity system that could carry cultural credibility, generate real buzz, and turn a first location into a destination.
Solution
This wasn't about naming a business. It was about creating a cultural moment. We developed the full naming strategy, brand positioning, and visual identity system for The Strip Club. A name inspired by the photo strip itself, designed to stop people mid-scroll and flip their expectations completely. The identity was built collaboratively with the Vizzaris, drawing from photo culture, vintage signage, and the tactile quality of analog experiences. Every element was crafted to feel like it had always belonged there.
“Chicago’s newest “strip club” isn’t what you think—it’s a vintage photo booth bar”
— TimeOut Chicago, February 2025
Approach
We started with a single insight that shaped everything: the studio wasn't a destination. It was a connector. The pause between dinner and drinks. The stop that turns a first date into a memory. That positioning gave the brand something to stand for beyond the format. From there, we built a system designed to travel. A name that sparked curiosity. Visuals that delivered the reveal. A launch strategy built with press in mind. What could have been a novelty became a place. What could have been a gimmick became culture.
A Cultural Moment Waiting for a Name
For nearly two decades, A&A Studios helped shape Chicago’s photo booth movement. Restoring vintage booths. Curating placements across the globe. Hand-building custom, analog experiences in a digital world.
When founders Andrea and Anthony Vizzari decided to open Chicago’s first dedicated photo booth studio in Bucktown, they needed more than a name. They needed a brand that could carry cultural credibility and spark immediate buzz.
Geletka+ partnered with the Vizzaris to develop the naming strategy, positioning, and identity system for their first public destination.
The result: a launch that generated instant attention, including a Secret Chicago feature calling it “Chicago’s first-ever photo booth studio.”
Finding the Space Between Moments
Our strategy centered on a simple but powerful idea: the place between places.
Not dinner. Not the bar. Not the next thing. The moment in between.
The pause before whatever comes next. The space where plans form, conversations shift, and people linger longer than they meant to.
The studio was not positioned as a high-pressure destination. It became the connector. The stop between a first date and wherever it leads. Between dinner and drinks. A place that brings people together without demanding anything from them.
That insight guided everything.
Introducing The Strip Club
The name was designed to stop people in their tracks.
Inspired by the physical photo strip itself, The Strip Club is provocative, unexpected, and impossible to ignore. It plays on cultural assumptions and flips them completely.
The curiosity is instant. The experience delivers the reveal.
As TimeOut Chicago put it: “Chicago’s newest ‘strip club’ isn’t what you think—it’s a vintage photo booth bar.”
The name sparked the conversation. The brand made it credible.
Design Rooted in Personal History
The identity system was developed collaboratively with the Vizzaris, grounded in history, cultural references, and their personal style.
We looked at photo culture, vintage signage, classic typography and the tactile quality of analog experiences. The design system feels collected and confident. Every element was built to feel like it belonged in the space from day one, instead oftrying to look retro.
The result is a system that’sauthentic, intentional and deeply human. Built for Launch, Built for Press
From the beginning, this brand was designed to travel.
The name, the concept, and the visuals were all built with launch in mind, giving press something to react to and talk about. The Strip Club quickly earned attention for flipping expectations and creating something genuinely new in Chicago’s retail and nightlife landscape.
What could have been a novelty became a place. What could have been a gimmick became culture.
Impact
- Generated immediate local press, including a featured write-up in Secret Chicago
- Sparked organic buzz through a name that invited curiosity and conversation
- Established Chicago’s first dedicated photo booth studio as a cultural destination, not just a novelty
- Built a brand system flexible enough to scale across merchandise, events, and future locations
- Positioned A&A Studios as creative leaders in analog experiences within a digital world
Credits
Austin Bond + Anders Newman + John Geletka + Kristian Vazquez