St. Andrew's Episcopal School

St. Andrew's Episcopal School is a grade 3–12, college-prep institution, located just outside Washington, DC, and dedicated to finding better ways of teaching and more effective ways of learning. Out of their studies came the school's new D! Lab or Design Laboratory, employing the best teaching methods augmented by tools like 3D printers. The D! Lab needed a new logo and a full-wall mural, whose elements would encourage students to think creatively.

This work followed on our earlier success creating a Design Thinking brochure meant to capture attention and physically embody the philosophy of the school and the Center it describes. A non-standard size and square aspect ratio, along with the poster-like inner fold, bi-directional text, and figure-ground optical illusion of the two faces, all challenged convention and suggested an innovative approach to teaching.

One of our most educationally intriguing projects for St. Andrews was creating a set of flat, 5-inch diameter magnets to be arranged on white boards by students as they worked through the process of design thinking. Each disk magnet contained a single word, integral to this creative exercise, and when configured in different arrangements often triggered new approaches and creative insights.

After the success of our previous projects, Evergreen was tasked with designing Guide to Imagination and Design Thinking, a publication written by D!Lab Director Chuck James. With clever writing and innovative concepts, we had to create a captivating design to match. One such design aspect was building a reusable white board into the inside back cover so that students can sketch and design along as they went through the book.

Supporting education-related clients will always be a special interest and ongoing reward for our firm.