Founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers and his friends, 826 National was born to simply provide one-on-one tutoring for students falling behind. 826 educational centers are developed with the same model: a “silly” storefront facing the street and welcoming the community at large, and in the back is for teaching. Each storefront were crafted with a distinct fantasy retail environment related to the city.
Create a complete visual identity & develop products' ideas for a brand new 826 Chapter in Madison, WI, together with its retail store, aligning with the core values & mission of 826 National.
Identity System
Professor: Lisa Wallace
Co-Researchers: Samantha Swol, Christine Peruski
Feedback from communication design students
Communicate a unique visual story about the city to the people here, inspired by the playful aesthetic of 826 National Brand DNA.
─ Local people & visitors of Madison, WI
─ Pedestrians
─ Nature lover
─ Cared about helping people in need and improving the quality of life in Madison
─ Attracted to beautiful & meaningful things
"A very multicultural and liberal city. People keep to themselves in a good way."
Madison doesn't have spring seems like a pretty real inside joke. According to Weather Spark, the average daily temperature in Spring weather in Madison, WI ranges around 15°F - 55°F (from freezing to cool). I conducted research on Quora & Twitter, asked some friends grown up from Madison, and they agreed that the city only has 1 season - winter. (sometimes construction)
Since Madison itself is surrounded by nature & its people have to experience rough conditions during winter - such as biking on the ice, full of snow in their yards, etc., it's crucial to bring back the feeling of Spring back to the town, and simply just make people feel happier.
826 understands that Spring in Madison only lasts 4 hours, Springkle! is here to bring you some Spring in your shower-step experience.
"Springkle!" = Spring + Sprinkle (small drops of water)
How can 826 Madison make spring more special? What experience can give you the best feeling of spring in your house?
Organic & Fun are keys here. I decided to design the final logos for 826 Madison (826 Mad) & Springkle! using hand-drawn typography in order to highlight the shapes of shower bubbles collaborating with shades of Spring.
