In an effort to boost literacy and instill a love of reading, The L!brary Initiative—a partnership of the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York City Department of Education—is a ground-breaking program to remodel or create libraries in neglected New York City public elementary schools with money raised from corporate donors.

We have designed the signage and environmental graphics for The L!brary’s kick-off space, located in Beginning with Children School in Brooklyn, New York. A focus on design encourages new ideas and interests in school-kids to grow in a comfortable and safe setting.

The design of The L!brary’s word-mark creates a strong identity that is welcoming to children, and can be applied in a flexible manner for different schools. We had envisioned the whole place with information and knowledge everywhere–famous poems printed on the shades and random vocabulary words printed on the pillows similar to oversized flashcards to spark the students imagination even when they were relaxing. Children’s book illustrators were commissioned to create pictorial stories that we combined into a mural on the hall outside the library. All decorative design was to have educational value, and furnishings were sourced to encourage socialization and curiosity.