ST. ALOYSIUS | ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

Environmental graphics and an integrated branding, identity and messaging system reinvigorates St. Aloysius’s historic Bond Hill campus in Cincinnati, Ohio.

GBBN Architects asked us to be a member of the design team for this total renovation of St. Aloysius’ historic campus in Bond Hill. St. Aloysius has been a Cincinnati landmark since the early 1800’s and has a rich history. Today, St. Aloysius offers a network of facilities and services that provide education, counseling, health care and resources for children, adults and families.

Before designing the interior environmental branding, we defined and refined their identity and messaging through an intensive and structured process. First, we preformed leadership interviews and facilitated internal and external design charrettes. Then, we assembled our findings and recommendations into an electronic document for distribution to stakeholders. Finally, we were able to design a fully integrated brand system. We reinvigorated the St. Aloysius corporate identity and message structure and established a cohesive marketing and communications program. Furthermore, our overall message and design strategy correlates with the building architecture both in style and function.

The lobby features a fun and aspirational paper-airplane-inspired sculpture. The colorful, custom sculpture shows a series of airplanes hanging in formation, poised to take off into the world.  A life-sized St. Aloysius logo is etched into the windows—in the shadow of the  iconic dome that it depicts. The carefully designed logo mark illustrates the range of kids, adults and families that St. Al’s serves.

The St. Aloysius logo is inspired by the signature tower of the original structure. The entire integrated branding system takes its design cues from the ashlar stone design utilized in the original building.

The project features a modular, wall-mounted, graphic system that integrates educational/history/program messaging with interior wayfinding and aspirational images. Our structured, integrated branding system uses physical size and orientation as visual cues to the type of message and audience.

Part of the integrated branding and environmental graphics include tailored messaging for each floor. Area-specific content is matched to appropriate floors based on function and audience. In this case, messaging is catered towards the Students.

An integrated room identification and wayfinding system dovetails into the interior, environmental graphic design.

Messaging is tailored to the floor/area occupants–in this case, the Leadership.

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.

Brand Audit: Every brand needs realigning every five years or so. White Design Studio provides comprehensive brand audits to help evaluate what existing materials support or, more importantly, dilute your brand. We’ll make your identity stronger and offer suggestions to move your group to a more integrated brand experience. 

Brand Guidelines: Every use of your brand is an opportunity to reinforce your messaging and differentiate you from your competition. Our Brand Guidelines, or Brand Platforms, ensure that each opportunity is meaningful and effective. These Guidelines are your branding playbook; illustrating your brand story and defining graphic rules for use in designing brand materials. We’ll help guide you on not only how your brand talks, but how it looks as well. 

Identity: Corporate Identity, branding and logo design is the foundation of any successful communications strategy. Peter White and White Design Studio have been inventing, developing, interpreting and extending brands for over 40 years!

Branded Environments: 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.

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. Concept designs are then applied to all of the individual components. Finally, we fabricate and install our solutions.

Corporate Sculptures: At White Design Studio we design art with a purpose. Our interior and exterior, custom-designed sculptures help create iconic symbols for Communities, Municipalities, Non-Profits and Corporations. They 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 or a monumental courtyard centerpiece, Peter and his team collaborate with artisans to create one-of-kind expressions that tell your story in a memorable way.

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.