Shanghai American School
Sub-Brands, Signage + Creative Placemaking
We started working with Shanghai American School at a pivotal point in its 100 year history. Equipped with a fresh brand identity and revitalized ambition, SAS was ready and eager to step boldly forth into a new era. In an inspired effort to build community and celebrate its one-of-a-kind culture, the school came back to us to expand the system through campus landmarks and events.
Jump to:
The Hub: Sub-Brand + Wayfinding
Gallery of Legends: Environment + Experience
Cafe Juno: Environmental Design
PAC: Sub-Brand
Extending the Brand
With renowned architecture powerhouse Perkins + Will tapped to build out a state-of-the-art multimedia center, we traveled to Shanghai to align on a cohesive creative vision. How might an entirely new physical space embody and extend the existing brand? We found inspiration quite literally in our hands and at our feet — in book stacks and slats that could be abstracted, repeated and turned into dynamic design elements.
logo as system
The Hub, as it would come to be called, took on a rich, unique sub-brand of its own. Oak wood accents, inspired by bookshelves, complement core SAS colors. The primary mark brings four corners of campus together in a single symbol, a scalable H that pairs beautifully with the full wordmark and functions as a framing device.
The Hub: From Build-Out to Branding
As P+W developed renderings for the new Hub, we were there on site, eager to understand the intention behind its creation. Imagined as an immersive playground for learning, meeting and making, the Hub would house all manners of media, creative equipment and zones for interaction. Our job was to make sure the campus community could easily find their way through the space.
honoring the process
We paid close attention to the architects’ plans, looking for cues that might inform our work in their repeated design and material decisions.
Activating the Space
In partnership with P+W, we got to imagine everything from lush, living “in-between” spaces to modular meeting places that support a full palette of postures.
Wayfinding Signage + Iconography
Following the grid established in the original SAS identity, we developed streamlined icons for ease of use with the signage system. We partnered with local printers to create strategic, accessible wayfinding markers, from freestanding pillars and vinyl adhesives to customized corner signage. Every piece helps ground visitors in where they are, geographically, historically and culturally.
Gallery of Legends: Experiential Design
As part of its first ever strategic push to build a strong, supportive alumni community, SAS coordinated a one-night event to honor the school’s legends and legacies. We designed the look and feel of the experience to play up the pride and encourage engagement.
Custom Font
We leaned heavily on the font we’d created as part of the original identity to tug on alumni heartstrings and class camaraderie. CAD-cut acrylic panels suspended overhead called out class years, while die-struck enamel pins celebrated the school’s sheer volume of athletic conference titles.
Designing Memorable Moments
The night of the event welcomed alums from across the world and generations to stroll the Gallery of Legends, fondly recall shared traditions and see themselves as part of the school’s impressive history.
Vignettes
We embraced and extended elements of the brand system to create an experiential timeline, layering images and icons with stories and artifacts from the school’s history to bring the legends to life.
Cafe Juno: Designing Every Detail
A beloved on-campus fixture, Café Juno offers a casual meeting or study space that draws students all day, every day. We imbued the environment with thoughtfully designed touchpoints to add a little character and school spirit.
Performing Arts Center: Fostering Community
The PAC at SAS opens its arms to the greater Shanghai community. A professional event space with seating for up to 750, it had grown to demand an identity of its own. Again, we harnessed the existing system to create an ownable look and feel that was no less coherent with the SAS brand.
logo as system
Once more, we looked to the surrounding architecture and drew inspiration from the rippling windows and circular pendant fixtures to develop a logo that captures the sense of celebration and showmanship the PAC puts on display. All we had to do was, quite literally, connect the dots.
With the completion of the PAC sub-brand, we successfully handed off a robust set of style guides and simple tools for not just telling stories, but building community for years to come.
