35 years after the foundation of the school, we have entered a new stage, starting with the release of a new corporate identity, together with the Vera Tamayo studio, which has helped us develop a visual identity that captures the industrial essence that has defined our school since its inception.
Vera Tamayo is a graphic design and art direction studio based in Barcelona, founded in 2019 by David Vera and Daniel Tamayo. Specializing in artistic, cultural and commercial projects, they offer a wide range of services to their clients, including Art Direction, Creative Direction, Visual Identity, Campaigns, Editorial Design, and Web Design.
They have collaborated with institutions such as Barcelona City Council, Prat de Llobregat City Council or the Generalitat de Catalunya, as well as with other clients such as Custo Barcelona, Teatre Artesà or Guillem Gisbert. And now also with the Escola Superior de Disseny ESDI, where the co-founder, David Vera, studied Graphic Design and also works as a teacher.
The rebranding was inspired by the school’s iconic industrial building, which has been an integral part of its identity since its inception. This new visual approach implies a significant change from the previous branding, with a more direct and versatile discourse that unifies the school’s visual communication.
However, key elements of the previous branding have been retained, such as the ESDI acronym, to strengthen brand recognition, and a sans serif typeface, reminiscent of industrial aesthetics, which maintains the connection with its history.
The ESDI community has been involved in the entire design process, from the definition of communication needs to the implementation of the new branding in different areas. With this rebranding, ESDI is expected to have a more meaningful perception and better positioning in the education sector, both internally and externally.
Below is the interview we conducted with the Vera Tamayo studio:
What is the vision and mission of the Vera Tamayo studio?
“We like to work closely with our clients, to ensure they feel identified and secure with the final proposal. Our work process always starts with the analysis of the values and needs of each commission, from which we extract the key concepts that will define the tone of the project and guide its discourse until the end of the creative process. We share the result of this analysis with the client, to establish a common starting point, and from there we begin the formalization phase. We try to create timeless formal proposals to genuinely define the character of each project.”
What is the history that led to the foundation of the studio?
“The founders of the studio are David Vera and Daniel Tamayo. We met in 2015 working together at Apartamento Studios. In 2017 David left Apartamento to first work as art director at the fashion magazine Hercules Universal and then as a designer at the Clase Bcn studio. During that time, Daniel continued working at Apartamento Studios. In 2019, the two of us partnered to found Vera Tamayo. After four years, in 2023, Ivette Manent (also an ESDI alumna) joined the team.”
What were the first steps in the process of developing the new branding?
“The first thing we did was an analysis of the ESDI brand, to detect existing conflicts and be able to define its needs. We shared the conclusions with the school and jointly formulated different phases to formalize the project.”
What was the inspiration behind the new visual identity?
“We quickly detected that the ESDI building (an industrial warehouse from the beginning of the 20th century) was a differential element for the school, due to its infrastructure, but also its load of meaning. It created a very interesting link with the industrial history of Catalonia, and we decided that it would be the starting point for creating the discourse of the new brand and the new visual imagery.”
How would you describe the new visual approach compared to the previous branding?
“Over time, the previous branding lost its identity; the concepts that initially defined it stopped being applied, and graphic coherence was affected. The most significant change in the new visual approach was the rethinking of the values and key concepts that defined the school. Based on the concept of industry, we created a direct and versatile discourse that helped us unify ESDI’s visual communication and create a more resonant and direct brand. We also decided to remove the symbol from the logo and created a simpler composition to facilitate its readability and functionality on different media, both digital and printed.”
What elements of the old branding did you decide to keep in the new design?
“We decided to keep the initials ESDI as the main element of the logo, as they had a historical trajectory that reinforced brand recognition, and we also decided to continue using a sans serif typeface to maintain connection with the brand’s history.”
How did you involve the ESDI community in the design process of the new branding?
“We defined the communicative needs of the project jointly with the university’s communication team and management. Once the new visual proposal was defined, we met with the different departments to execute the subsequent phases, such as communication on social media with audiovisual content or signage with the interiors department.”
What impact do you expect the new branding to have on the perception of ESDI?
We hope that this new, more contemporary proposal, with a clearer and more direct discourse, will bring resonance and better positioning in the educational sector. We also hope that students, teachers, and staff alike will feel more comfortable and more identified with the brand.”
This renovation not only represents an aesthetic change but also a commitment to the modernization and update of the school. Finally, we want to thank the Vera Tamayo studio for accompanying us in this process.