Netley Campus, London: School Wayfinding Signage
Brief: Brand, Wayfinding & Sign Design
Client: London Borough of Camden
Sector: Education Campus
As well as a primary school, Netley Campus is home to an autistic spectrum disorder unit (ASD), pupil referral unit, adult learning centre and education support offices. This development involved extending and modernising an old Victorian school building to create an aspirational learning facility for the local community. The brief for this education wayfinding project also included the design of a new identity. This new identity needed to reflect the aspirational ethos and resonate with adults as well as primary age children.
Campus Identity
Research showed existing primary school identities falling into two camps. One traditional and featuring symbolic representations of learning and growth such as trees or buildings. The second more cartoon-like, child focussed illustrations. Neither route was felt appropriate. Instead we focussed on creating a solution that would enable each faculty to have their own identity, under an overall campus brand. The resultant multi-coloured rosette encapsulates the concept of the combined offer being greater than the sum of the parts.
The lozenge shape in the centre and the different colours of the petals, provide the components for the individual identities. With more petals than faculties, the brand can flex to include future additional services.
To ensure legibility, particularly for the ASD unit and the younger children, we wanted to include a combination of colour, text and symbol. Prior to the rebrand the school emblem had been an oak tree. For continuity, we decided to retain and extend this theme. So a series of related symbols were created to represent all of the faculties. These are combined with the colour of one of the petals in a lozenge shape to create a simple brand hierarchy.
The Wayfinding
The components that make up the identities – colour, lozenge and symbol, are translated directly to the wayfinding. Large super graphics at entrances to each department, feature the brand colour and symbol. The lozenge shape is used throughout, for room and facility identification signs and in the directional information.
The wayfinding reinforces and expresses the brand in a way that adds character and interest. With a sophisticated brand identity that is accessible without being patronising to the wide range of stakeholders served by Netley Campus.
To comply with health and safety regulations, The Velvet Principle also created a unique design for the manifestation at entrances and class room doors. As well as the stationary letterheads and emblems for the school uniform.
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