emerson college
unusual, unexpected, uncommon
untapped potential
The south corner of the Boston Common, where Boylston and Tremont meet, had been a bit neglected. But Emerson College’s renovation of historic buildings and performing arts spaces has brought new life to the area. And with the Embrace sculpture and the latest Flour bakery outpost, there are more reasons to enjoy the Common for visitors and locals alike.
With the goal of creating a “public front door” to the College, Emerson partnered with Harpoon Brewery and the City of Boston to imagine a gathering spot and performance space. But how would they make it vibrant, colorful, and welcoming to all? After working with Emerson on their alumni magazine, Expression, they asked us to bring the same creative thinking from the printed page to this 3D space.
wall-to-wall design
We began by considering the exterior walls—the first thing passersby see. Inspired by the music created by performers who grace the stage and the WERS radio station right across the street, we designed a supergraphic based on soundwaves (in the Emerson brand colors).
connecting the dots
But how do you brand the space? We loved the play on the Boston Common with “uncommon,” but the previous name “UnCommon Stage” solely suggested a performing arts space (even though there isn’t always someone on stage). So we renamed it UNCOMMON CORNER, allowing Emerson to “own” that corner of the park. The name’s graphic treatment suggests marquee lights and led to other possibilities…
…like a back wall for the stage created out of 10,944 bottle caps, becoming an instant Instagrammable moment (meticulously hand-assembled by Andrew Bablo). Above the stage, a sky blue awning shields performers from the sun and announces the space to everyone in the surrounding buildings.
“We are hearing so many positive reactions already, and are so excited that you could help us to make this a more dynamic and inviting space. We are grateful to partner with such a talented and thoughtful team.”– Rebekah Carmichael, Emerson VP for Marketing and Communications
Our design for the space extended to the selection of all furniture. Generic outdoor tables and chairs were swapped out for communal beer garden tables and high-tops in a bold (and on-brand) yellow. Custom sky blue umbrellas for shade accompany the tables.
To top it all off, entrance signage and banners let folks know the space is open to all and announce what’s going on.
cheers!
We were even asked to recommend the colors of the flowers in the planters to complement our design. Come down and enjoy a beer now through October 31st.
