Sir Manasseh Meyer International School

2018

Discipline

Brand Identity, Art Direction, Environmental Design, Digital Design

Client

Sir Manasseh Meyer International School

Industry

Education

How do you broaden an international school’s appeal without diluting the identity of the community that founded it? This was the challenge facing Sir Manasseh Meyer International School, a not-for-profit school established by Singapore’s Jewish community.

After moving to a larger campus, SMMIS needed to attract a broader mix of expatriate Jewish and non-Jewish families. Its earlier identity leaned on Sir Manasseh Meyer’s knighthood, but said little about the school itself.

Working with Design Sojourn, we spoke with teaching staff, the board, current parents and families who had left. The findings shaped not only the identity, but recommendations for curriculum, communication and community relations.

The new mark preserves the school’s Jewish roots through the menorah while opening out to ideas of knowledge, growth, community support and each child’s individuality.

“Pursuing wisdom for a better world” became the ethos, drawn from Tikkun Olam, the Jewish idea of repairing the world.

The result gave SMMIS a clearer way to welcome a wider community while remaining true to where it began.