Lausanne-based Square One is the first innovation campus in the world devoted to developing the Trust Economy. Square One called upon Creative Supply to help with their project, which combines real estate, technology and research, with a view to build a brand identity to match their ambitions.
Trust is the lifeblood of the global economy. Anticipating change and developments is important to secure relationships between economic players, especially under the impulse of technological revolutions both current and to come. Square One, headed by SICPA, world leader in identification, traceability and authentication solutions, emerged in 2018 against that very backdrop. In light of the interest generated by the project, a group of companies, research organisations and public actors formed to support it. From the very beginning, Creative Supply was hired on to create a comprehensive brand identity to accompany the project’s development and launch.
Starting point
The Square One project is extraordinary in both its magnitude and its ambitions, and mobilised Creative Supply teams for close to a year. The greatest challenge was in creating a brand platform that captured the project’s many aspirations and could accompany its various evolutions, from the concept phase through to the opening of the campus.
The name “Square One” was suggested in reference to both the project’s potential for growth and the modular, geometric structure of the campus. The slogan “Building on Trust” complements the name, touching on the building and its campus function, and highlighting the importance of trust as a cornerstone of the economy. A significant amount of text content was also created to support the project’s promotional campaign with potential partners and investors.
A modular design for a versatile campus
Drawing inspiration from the campus architects, our art director, Aloïs Ancenay, designed a graphical concept that aligns perfectly with the project. A series of rectangles encase logo and important texts following the modular construction codes of the buildings. The use of both open and closed rectangles subtly alludes to certain characteristics of the campus, which aims to be a place of sharing, but also a safe-haven where occupants can store sensitive data… trustfully.
While the colour scheme is deliberately meagre, the choice of electric blue as the main colour brings energy to the whole. This is especially visible on paraphernalia ranging from webcam covers to t-shirts.
Square One’s brand identity was unveiled in 2018 and has been acclaimed by all stakeholders. The campus’ first occupants are set to arrive in early 2022.
