OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY | ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHIC DESIGN
Branded Experience, Sculpture, Wayfinding, Concept Design, Production Design
Columbus, Ohio
THE POINT is a new kind of education facility located on Otterbein University’s west campus. The facility is part Maker Lab and part Business Incubator. THE POINT houses a variety of workshops, classroom and lecture hall environments. It also includes corporate tenant spaces where students integrate real-world projects into their curriculum. We worked with WSA Studio and THE POINT’s staff to provide a variety of environmental graphic design, wayfinding, and exterior signage features to create a fully integrated design system.
Our branded experience started with a flexible motif based on “play” and “fast forward”. THE POINT fast forwards a student’s education so they can experience real-world collaboration and hands-on fabrication techniques. It’s a great way to see the entire process of identifying a need, designing a solution and bringing it to market. We wanted to express these things in our design so we created icons and a graphic language just for THE POINT.
The pattern language is on all glass elements throughout the facility. It doubles as passive wayfinding, pointing the way to classrooms, while also providing privacy for each space. The result is an integrated design that ties spaces together, adds privacy, and elevates the fun.
Located in key locations, our wayfinding signage directs students to labs, studios, classrooms, and offices. We subtly integrated THE POINT logo into each of the overhead signs. This reinforces the uniqueness of the space and adds a level of continuity. BLKLTR designed the logo for THE POINT.
PHOTO CREDIT: AJ BROWNING PHOTOGRAPHY
We needed to strongly identify Otterbein University but wanted to also express the spirit and uniqueness of THE POINT. We selected a wall that was set back but viewable from the entrance to add the college logo. At first glance, it is just a logo but as the viewer comes closer, the feature reveals its “maker lab” language. You can read more about the making of this feature in our blog post here.
Exterior identification featured total integration into the WSA-designed facade. The tone-on-tone marries the new identity with the new architecture.
White Design Studio is a multidisciplinary design firm located in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. We specialize in the design, production, and installation of integrated branding solutions. Our solutions orchestrate corporate identity, marketing, storytelling, environmental, photography, video, print and interactive elements. At White Design Studio, we believe the best way to communicate your brand’s story is through branded environments and experiences. We work with manufacturers, service providers, non-profits, architects and developers, agencies, distributors, governments and municipalities, and museums. First, we identify the work that a campaign, space, or interactive needs to do. We can then model a vision of what success looks like, and design to meet that vision. We are passionate about helping clients communicate their value through well-crafted storytelling, a consistent 2D, 3D, and digital design approach and expert production techniques.
Strategy: White Design Studio is your strategically-focused design source. Our marketing communications are custom-tailored to meet our customers’ objectives. Our creative solutions take many forms, but all are designed for maximum effectiveness. Each solution delivers key brand messaging to a wide variety of audiences.
Branded Experience: Sometimes called Environmental Graphic Design or Experiential Graphic Design, White Design Studio designs and creates strategic, compelling and memorable experiences. Our solutions deliver key messaging, branded specifically for each target audience. Workplace, Corporate Briefing Centers, Showrooms and Lobbies, Museum Displays and Exhibits, Retail Showrooms and Store Design are all great examples of White Design’s sweet spot of design, fabrication and installation capabilities.
Corporate Sculptures: At White Design Studio we design art with a purpose. Our interior and exterior, custom-designed art installations and sculptures help create iconic symbols for Communities, Municipalities, Non-Profits and Corporations. These commissioned artworks embody the essence of a group by distilling their core brand messaging into a creative and unique 3D feature. Whether it’s interior or exterior sculptures, hanging mobiles in an atrium, a monumental courtyard centerpiece, or other public art installations Peter and his team collaborate with artisans to create one-of-kind expressions that tell your story in a memorable way.
Directional Signs / Wayfinding: Our complete interior and exterior directional signage systems are intuitive, design and material appropriate. Each design is complementary to architecture, interiors and other branding elements where they coexist. First, we create a hierarchical messaging system, then we match that system to location opportunity maps. Then, we apply concept designs to all of the individual components. Finally, we fabricate and install our solutions.
White Design Studio operates most efficiently in the design sweet-spot between environments, identity, and communications. Comfortable stretching any direction, we are at ease designing for one element. But, we are at our best when we can combine each element to develop a fully integrated brand and messaging system. We collaborate with industry-leading professionals on large-scale projects, but can also comfortably operate as your single-source design partner. We partner with Developers, Architects, Engineers, Facility Managers, Creative Directors, Marketing Departments Advertising Agencies and other Design Studios.