The Bold Collective was commissioned by The Department of Education to provide wayfinding and environmental graphics at the recently renovated Manly Vale Public School. The school is an innovative twenty-first learning facility practising contemporary pedagogy.

Our brief was to inject playful design elements to complement the existing architectural shell whilst being mindful of the bushland surrounds. Navigation around the multi-level site was lacking, as well as graphic features both internally and externally.

Our concept was based around developing a suite of local Australian flora and fauna executed in a naive hand drawn illustrative style to sit harmoniously within the site. We worked with students to develop stories based around native animals that are often seen in the area. These stories are illustrated across animal plaques which are scattered throughout the grounds providing fun surprises and hidden messages as you move around the site. Flora elements including native bottlebrush, gum leaves and banksia are also weaved throughout both signage and graphic elements.

We chose to work with plywood and watercolour textures combined with earthy colours to bring the site to life.  A range of graphic features including hand painted timber totem poles, large scale painted environmental graphics, stair graphics, glazing, and suspended signage elements are discovered as you navigate around the school.