Herzing University
Challenge
The historic Hurt Building in downtown Atlanta recently became the new home of Herzing University’s local campus. One of America’s earliest skyscrapers, the Hurt Building was the original location of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and is now a prized example of the city’s rich architectural heritage. Herzing University offers professional career programs across numerous disciplines and in several cities across the United States. With Herzing University occupying more than 30,000 square feet of space within the Hurt Building, there was an urgent need to weave their brand throughout the voluminous new vertical campus.
Solution
Uniting students and locations was paramount, as was making students and administrators feel at home in their new surroundings. In partnership with Facilitec, an Atlanta architecture and interior design firm, Phase 3 reinterpreted the educational institution’s brand guidelines and developed a graphics package that would bring the Herzing brand alive. Numerous details were considered to activate the brand and create a sense of something exceptional, always complementing the existing location. MATERIALS & FABRICATION Laser-cut real birch wood wall to match birch finishes throughout the space, displaying the institution’s core values in laser-routed letters, stained and finished to create a clean finish from all viewing angles. 3M optically clear vinyl with a subtle blue fade, aligned with brand palette, applied to glass walls to create a sense of privacy. Custom-painted Herzing logo mounted to 1-inch acrylic with frosted second-surface mounting layer for the institution name on ½-inch second-surface painted acrylic, all mounted to a 1-inch acrylic backer plate with a paralyzed frost effect to capture light and add dimensionality. Double-sided custom-painted Herzing seal composed from CNC-routed material, accented with gold pearlized paint, and then augmented with acrylic elements to add dimensionality to both sides of the object. Student feature wall composed of galvanized steel board, wrapped in a custom birch high-pressure laminate to provide a magnetized announcement board function. Laser-cut and pearlized painted brackets support acrylic plaque inserts to celebrate student achievements, while a second surface with pearlized paint creates the word “possible.”
Results
Now Herzing students can find inspiration around every corner on their journey to knowledge, and administrators have a brand-activated campus, created on budget and within a short timeframe—four months to design, fabricate, and install a complete set of custom graphics that encompass and energize the entire campus.
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