Eastside Preparatory School Environmental Branding
A looooooong project for a long-running client
Environmental Branding
Eastside Preparatory School is Chalkbox Creative’s longest-running client—we have been working for this college-prep school in Kirkland, Washington, since 2006! (Saying that makes us feel a little old, to be honest.) We keep working with them, and love working with them, because the school is filled with good people dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others.
This school has long been on the forefront of education, which means doing things differently. Part of that is the location: Although Eastside Prep has transformed a section of what used to be a low-key office park into a cutting-edge campus, the setting still isn’t necessarily the leafy, tree-lined hideaway where you might expect to find a renowned institution.
That’s why Eastside Prep called on us once again, resulting in a first for Chalkbox—to highlight the school and clearly define its footprint, we were asked to design over 200 feet of branded, graphic-rich, inspirational … fencing.
Making fences? Sure. Branding fences? Hmm …
Our founder, Josh, is a builder. When he’s not designing on a computer or a sketchpad, he loves making tangible things, and he’s even built a few fences in his day. But nobody at Chalkbox had any experience designing graphics for a fence, so this was going to be an adventure—the kind of project we absolutely love.
We first needed to understand just how something like a branded fence is produced and installed, including finding a vendor (DCG ONE) who could handle the job and bring our design to life. This required some field work (something else we love): running tests, taking measurements during site visits, and simply figuring stuff out.
After a lot of learning and planning, we began designing, utilizing components of the school’s guiding messages and reinforcing the visual language found in the rest of Eastside Prep’s branded collateral (which we played a role in creating, of course).
Energetic and vibrant
The result was supremely satisfying, both for our longtime client and for us; it’s always fun to see your work anywhere in the wild, let alone on a canvas as large as a 211-foot fence. It embodies Eastside Prep perfectly—it is bright, vibrant, youthful, and impactful. When you’re standing within that part of the campus, you know exactly where you are, and you feel the energy.
You’ve heard the old saying: “Good fences make good neighbors.” We’re sure Eastside Prep was already a great neighbor, but now they’ve got a great fence, too.
