A lively new brand re-energizes a STEM institution
Re-introducing The Lawrence Hall of Science to visitors—and itself.
Lovingly referred to by Bay Area residents as “the bunker on the hill,” The Lawrence Hall of Science has been at the forefront of science education since 1968. In the past decade alone, it’s not only welcomed over one million visitors to its science center on the University of California, Berkeley campus, but its innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curricula has reached over 200 million K-12 students across America. In addition to inspiring children, The Lawrence also offers professional learning and development opportunities for teachers and conducts cutting-edge science research in collaboration with UC Berkeley and other partners. While the institution’s breadth of offerings spoke volumes about its commitment to furthering STEM education across the country, the abundance could be confusing to both visitors as well as staff. That’s why, on the eve of its 50th anniversary in 2018, leadership at The Lawrence asked IDEO to design a holistic brand identity that encompassed its many initiatives and communicated its core values clearly, effectively, and memorably across multiple touchpoints.
Approaching its 50th anniversary, The Lawrence Hall of Science sought a brand refresh to better connect with target audiences and set itself apart in the STEM education ecosystem.
The science center’s diverse offerings had grown extensively over five decades, creating a confusing and disjointed experience for their various audiences—as well as its staff.
Named after Ernest O. Lawrence, UC Berkeley’s first Nobel Laureate, The Lawrence Hall of Science’s wide-ranging products, services, and tools developed organically over half a century. To begin to make sense of the breadth and depth of its offerings, IDEO asked leadership and staff to surface the myriad of activities, audiences, and relationships with external partners to enable the group to visualize—and make sense of—the totality of The Lawrence brand.
During in-depth research with parents and kids, educators, and experts, IDEO discovered that each of these audiences had distinct mindsets. Parents and kids engaged with The Lawrence to explore, have fun, and dive deeper into a specific topic. Educators utilized it for professional training opportunities and to discover new classroom tools that would excite their students, while experts, including funders and UC Berkeley faculty, viewed the center as a resource for best-in-class STEM education research. The mindsets unlocked a number of opportunity areas, including lowering the barrier to entry by designing ways for parents and kids to learn together, using storytelling to create emotional resonance around The Lawrence’s core values, and creating a unified narrative to connect the dots across audiences and offers.
Building on the research and opportunity areas, IDEO created a modern, vibrant, and flexible brand that strategically and visually unites all of The Lawrence’s offerings and works across digital and physical media. Grounded by a grid system, the updated brand identity is simultaneously rigorous and fun, featuring a bright color palette and signature retro-cool super-nova mark. Different offerings are bundled together based on different audience needs, preventing confusion and easing navigation. Even the name, The Lawrence Hall of Science, was updated to a more contemporary and approachable, The Lawrence, inspired by The Met.
The Lawrence unveiled its new brand with much fanfare in late 2018 as part of its year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. Visitors can see the updated identity across all public-facing elements, including The Lawrence’s website and app, curriculum kits and educator materials, letterhead, collateral, and exhibition and wayfinding signage. Internally, the redesigned brand has been credited with generating excitement and energy across departments, helping solidify a collective future strategy for its next 50 years.
Named after Ernest O. Lawrence, UC Berkeley’s first Nobel Laureate, The Lawrence Hall of Science’s wide-ranging products, services, and tools developed organically over half a century. To begin to make sense of the breadth and depth of its offerings, IDEO asked leadership and staff to surface the myriad of activities, audiences, and relationships with external partners to enable the group to visualize—and make sense of—the totality of The Lawrence brand.
During in-depth research with parents and kids, educators, and experts, IDEO discovered that each of these audiences had distinct mindsets. Parents and kids engaged with The Lawrence to explore, have fun, and dive deeper into a specific topic. Educators utilized it for professional training opportunities and to discover new classroom tools that would excite their students, while experts, including funders and UC Berkeley faculty, viewed the center as a resource for best-in-class STEM education research. The mindsets unlocked a number of opportunity areas, including lowering the barrier to entry by designing ways for parents and kids to learn together, using storytelling to create emotional resonance around The Lawrence’s core values, and creating a unified narrative to connect the dots across audiences and offers.
Building on the research and opportunity areas, IDEO created a modern, vibrant, and flexible brand that strategically and visually unites all of The Lawrence’s offerings and works across digital and physical media. Grounded by a grid system, the updated brand identity is simultaneously rigorous and fun, featuring a bright color palette and signature retro-cool super-nova mark. Different offerings are bundled together based on different audience needs, preventing confusion and easing navigation. Even the name, The Lawrence Hall of Science, was updated to a more contemporary and approachable, The Lawrence, inspired by The Met.
The Lawrence unveiled its new brand with much fanfare in late 2018 as part of its year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. Visitors can see the updated identity across all public-facing elements, including The Lawrence’s website and app, curriculum kits and educator materials, letterhead, collateral, and exhibition and wayfinding signage. Internally, the redesigned brand has been credited with generating excitement and energy across departments, helping solidify a collective future strategy for its next 50 years.
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