How Elevator Manufacturer Otis Envisioned the Cities of the Future in a 1975 Ad (5 photos)

Stunning Otis advertising posters from 1975, created by legendary science fiction artist John Berkey, have gone viral on social media. The corporation, which built an empire on lifting mechanisms, commissioned the illustrator to create a large-scale canvas depicting a vision of ideal cities of the future, where high-tech urban planning played a central role. Instead of dreary concrete boxes, the artist depicted monumental futuristic megalopolises with cascading green terraces, soaring overpasses, and transparent capsule elevators gliding along the facades of gigantic skyscrapers. Advertising slogans of the era proudly promised to rid humanity of traffic jams and airport delays with the help of through transportation hubs and intelligent vertical transportation systems. Netizens have been thrilled by the iconic retrofuturist aesthetic, acknowledging that the fifty-year-old concepts look far more stylish, eco-friendly, and inspiring than most modern architectural designs.