Marquardt Middle School Environmental Graphic
Translating the district’s vision into a cohesive environmental graphics system that inspires students throughout their daily journey.
As part of Marquardt Middle School’s renovation, including the addition of a new Library Media Center, the school district sought to create an inspiring learning environment that would encourage students to see themselves in the stories of influential leaders and changemakers. Rather than serving as decorative elements, the graphics were intended to become part of students’ everyday experience, bringing inspiration into the spaces they pass through most often.
Working from the district’s vision, I developed a cohesive environmental graphics system that transformed photographic references into stylized visuals and established a consistent visual language across the Library Media Center and high-traffic corridors. By integrating graphics into students’ daily paths, the design extends learning beyond the classroom and turns everyday movement through the school into moments of inspiration.
ROLE
Visual System Design, Environmental Graphic Design & Production
PROJECT TYPE
Environmental Graphic Design
CLIENT
Marquardt Middle School, Marquardt School District 15
TOOLS USED
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Design Goals
Creating an environment that inspires beyond the classroom.
The district envisioned a learning environment where students would encounter stories of influential leaders throughout their school day. Rather than treating the graphics as decorative elements, the design sought to weave inspiration into the spaces students use every day, creating moments of curiosity, reflection, and connection beyond the classroom.
Guided by that vision, I focused on translating those ideas into a cohesive environmental graphics system that felt integrated with the architecture while maintaining a consistent visual language across multiple spaces.
INSPIRE EVERYDAY LEARNING
Use influential figures and inspiring messages to spark curiosity and encourage learning beyond the classroom.
CREATE VISUAL UNITY
Develop a cohesive graphic system that unifies spaces through a consistent visual language.
INTEGRATE WITH ARCHITECTURE
Design graphics that feel naturally integrated with the architecture.
Inspired by Student Voices
Chosen by Students. Crafted for the Environment.
Before the design process began, Marquardt Middle School students voted for the influential leaders they found most inspiring. Their selections formed the foundation of the environmental graphics, ensuring the artwork reflected the voices and aspirations of the school community.
My role was to transform those student-selected leaders into a cohesive visual system. Using royalty-free photographic references, I developed stylized illustrations that could adapt across multiple architectural settings while maintaining a consistent graphic language.
Crafting the Visual Language
Designing with purpose, shaped by community.
The visual language was built from two forms of community input. Students voted for the influential leaders they found most inspiring, while faculty and staff selected the keywords they believed best represented Marquardt Middle School’s mission. The design challenge was to incorporate both perspectives into a single visual language while keeping the students who would carry those values forward at the center of the story.
The final design reinforces that hierarchy. Influential leaders and mission keywords remain in monochrome as a foundation of inspiration, while full-color student illustrations take center stage, representing those who will shape the school's future. Colors drawn from the interior design palette seamlessly connect the graphics to the surrounding architecture, creating a cohesive environment that reflects the voices of the entire school community. Rather than serving as decoration, every design decision was made to transform community input into a meaningful visual experience.
01
INSPIRATION IN THE BACKGROUND
Influential leaders and faculty-selected mission keywords were intentionally treated in monochrome, establishing a visual foundation that reflects the school's values while allowing other elements to take focus.
02
STUDENTS AT THE CENTER
Full-color student illustrations were layered above the graphics to reinforce that students are the heart of the learning environment. While the leaders and mission provide inspiration, it is the students who carry those values forward.
03
CONNECTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Student illustrations were colored using the interior design palette, creating a seamless visual connection between the environmental graphics and the renovated learning spaces.
The Final Experience
A cohesive environment shaped by community, designed for students.
By transforming community voices into a cohesive visual language, the renovated spaces became more than hallways and walls. They became places where students can see themselves, their aspirations, and the school's mission reflected every day.
