by abduzeedo
Explore PS9's branding and visual identity by Billur Eda Bilgi, blending academic rigor with playful, approachable design.
Creating a visual identity for a school is a unique challenge. It needs to speak to kids, parents, and educators all at once. It has to feel trustworthy and academic, but also warm and inviting. Billur Eda Bilgi tackled this balancing act for Public School 9 in Manhattan, and the result is pretty cool.
PS9, serving Pre-K through fifth grade, wanted a brand that reflected its focus on a growth mindset and exploration, while still highlighting its academic foundation (Source: Public School 9 PDF). The school even has a cool glass mosaic, "Man In Space" by Vincent Cavallaro, from 1963, celebrating discovery, which sits in the auditorium foyer (Source: Public School 9 PDF). This mosaic was a key piece of inspiration.
The Design Approach
Billur Eda Bilgi, working with The Working Assembly, aimed to capture this spirit. The goal was to "embody the spirit of exploration while still standing strong as an academic institution first and foremost," says Eda (Source: Public School 9 PDF). The visual identity needed to connect with everyone – parents, teachers, and students – making it feel "youthful and fun yet academic and reliable." (Source: Public School 9 PDF).
Ease of use was also critical. Teachers, with their busy schedules, needed a system that was simple and straightforward (Source: Public School 9 PDF). This led to a clean, impactful design built on a simple grid system. Eda notes the grid provides a "strong framework for easy use" and brings a sense of "structure and academic authority" (Source: Public School 9 PDF).
Playful Details and Strong Typography
The brand incorporates illustrations that celebrate imperfection, with slightly offset outlines and fills creating an intentional misprint effect (Source: Public School 9 PDF). This adds a touch of whimsy and approachability. (Suggest Image 9 showing the various icons).
Custom patterns add another layer of playfulness. Eda explains these patterns use brush styles that reference materials found in a classroom, making the brand feel tied to the school itself (Source: Public School 9 PDF). (Suggest Image 11 showing the pattern with the book).
The color palette is vibrant, featuring shades like Off-White, Mint, Cotton Candy, Sunshine, Sky, Green Grape, Cantaloupe, and Lavender (Source: Public School 9 PDF). This palette, combined with the patterns and illustrations, brings the playful energy. (Suggest Image 4 showing the color palette).
Typography grounds the brand in academia while maintaining approachability. The system uses two headline fonts: Mackinac by P22, a serif font described as academic yet approachable, and Nichrome by Mass-Driver, a bold sans serif (Source: Public School 9 PDF). Eda chose Nichrome partly because it references 1970s/80s sci-fi paperbacks, a subtle nod to the school's space mosaic (Source: Public School 9 PDF). (Suggest Image 6, 7, or 8 showing the typography in use for events).
Bringing the Brand to Life
The new visual identity is seen across various applications, from welcome signage that pops (Suggest Image 1) to t-shirts that kids can wear with pride (Suggest Image 2). It appears on open house invitations (Suggest Image 3), yearbooks (Suggest Image 5), social media graphics (Suggest Image 6, 7, 8), and even merchandise like pins and hats (Suggest Image 9, 10, 13). The website also reflects the updated look (Suggest Image 12).
The result is a visual identity that successfully balances the fun and exploratory nature of elementary school with the necessary seriousness of an academic institution. It's simple, striking, and effectively communicates PS9's values to its community.
This project shows how a thoughtful visual identity can truly capture the essence of an organization, even something as dynamic as a public school. It’s a great example of how design can be both functional and full of personality.
Want to see more of Billur Eda Bilgi's work? Check out their portfolio at https://edabilgi.com/
