SQUARED

Where necessary, the brand utilises Google’s four hue colour palette. This brings energy and youthfulness to the brand while aligning it with it’s parent company. It also allows for the use of what I’m calling the ‘Google accent’, which is a thin, striped line containing Google’s primary brand colours.

The use of colour is primarily inspired by Central Saint Giles, a beautiful, striking complex containing Google’s primary advertising and sales office in the heart of West Central London.

The complex was designed by legendary architect Renzo Piano (designer of The Shard) who once said that “…the idea of colour represents a joyful surprise.”, a sentiment carried throughout the SQUARED brand.

This is where SQUARED was born. I’ve visited the office many times and it never ceases to inspire me. Both the interior office design and exterior complex design meld the essence of Google, London and the creative and advertising industry perfectly.

 

The SQUARED website was designed with impact and clarity in mind. It uses SQUARED’s loud, direct tone of voice to put the brand’s mission statement at the front and center, above a bold, over-sized call to action, while the Google accent sits subtly at the bottom of the unit and footer of the page.

The website features a fully responsive design, providing the same impactful experience across all devices.

Also included is a HD video archive of past SQUARED talks, given by well known industry experts.

A blog containing the thoughts and experiences of current and past SQUARES is also publicly available. The title, author and opening paragraph are overlaid onto the posts featured image, utilising the same direct and impactful style as the homepage.

Being invited to join SQUARED should carry with it a sense of occasion. It should be a personalised and emotional experience, akin to being accepted to your dream university or gaining admission to an exclusive club.
 

Until now, the majority of SQUARED applications came from professionals already working in the creative and advertising industry. Now that SQUARED is available online, a more direct response to applications is needed as some of the candidates may not work in Central London. In all instances, new SQUARES are now sent invitations by both email and post.

Both the digital and print invitations are designed with an air of mystery. It’s likely that the recipient will know immediately who the message is from, but they won’t know for sure. This creates a feeling of positive uncertainty, not unlike opening a gift on your birthday.
 
This is represented by the email subject line ‘You’re in.’ as opposed to ‘Welcome to SQUARED!’ and the print invitations subtle, barely noticeable use of the SQUARED logo and Google accent, featuring no explicit branding or mention of the programme.

Using simple language, the invite explains modules in short and easy to understand paragraphs, while featuring framed visual elements that further align the course with Google London and it’s home at Central Saint Giles.

The back of a SQUARED name card. The front features a portrait photo of the SQUARE, taken from their Google+ profile. The cards are designed to encourage interaction between SQUARES during and after events by establishing a common ground and helping to inspire conversation.

 

They contain only the essential information you need to make a connection with someone: a face, a name, an identifier and a casual piece of contact information.

The SQUARED brand acts as a symbol that the SQUARES can wear with pride throughout their journey together. It’s a distinguished mark that you can carry with you throughout your career – one that instantly conveys experience, individuality and a commitment to learning by doing. The SQUARE represents quality, simplicity, versatility and above all, unity.

To find out more about Squared, head over to the official course website.

Thanks for reading. I’m @jckmgn on Twitter.