Čiekurkoks is a Montessori-inspired kindergarten tucked within Latvia’s pine forests. It’s a place where peace, rhythm, and curiosity guide everyday learning. Our challenge was to create a visual identity and environmental system that could embody this spirit across every medium — physical and digital. From signage to soft goods, every touchpoint needed to feel calm, joyful, and intelligent — just like the children it serves.
The brand’s foundation is a deliberate juxtaposition: the ordered clarity of Swiss design and the intuitive spontaneity of nature. On one side, precise grids, clean typography, and modular systems. On the other, playful organic shapes, meandering lines, and natural textures. The visual language sits at this intersection, embracing contrast rather than avoiding it. This tension is not a flaw — it’s the philosophy in action: structure gives freedom; boundaries support exploration.
Too often, children’s design veers into cliché: primary colors, bubbly fonts, and cartoon mascots. Čiekurkoks takes a more thoughtful route. Typography is refined, with subtle quirks that add character without sacrificing readability. The color palette is bold, yet grounded in natural pigments — moss greens, soft clays, pale bark tones. Iconography is systematized but warm, communicating clearly without speaking down. This approach earns the child’s attention and the adult’s trust — a design language that respects both.
At its core, the Čiekurkoks design system is modular and scalable. Wayfinding uses color-coded signage with tactile icons that even the youngest learners can interpret. Event posters, staff assets, digital touchpoints, and classroom materials all pull from the same visual library — ensuring cohesion across formats. Every decision was anchored in three principles: make it navigable for all ages, tactile in its execution, and unified in tone. The result is a system that doesn’t just look good — it works beautifully, too.