MATTHIAS BRENDLER

BRAND VISION

Create brand value and ROI through design-based learning spaces and custom content.

Drive educational innovation that promotes continual improvement.

Ensure both the school’s the strategic differentiation in the marketplace in the form of the learning experience itself. 

Design + Implement ”Learning by Design”, a K-12 design-based learning approach modeled on the best practices of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design and the Stanford D-School.

Provide prospective and existing students fun design activities for building 21st century skills.

BRAND VISION

Create brand value and ROI through design-based learning spaces and custom content.

Drive educational innovation that promotes continual improvement.

Ensure both the school’s the strategic differentiation in the marketplace in the form of the learning experience itself. 

Design + Implement ”Learning by Design”, a K-12 design-based learning approach modeled on the best practices of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design and the Stanford D-School.

Provide prospective and existing students fun design activities for building 21st century skills.

BRAND VISION

Create brand value and ROI through design-based learning spaces and custom content.

Drive educational innovation that promotes continual improvement.

Ensure both the school’s the strategic differentiation in the marketplace in the form of the learning experience itself. 

Design + Implement ”Learning by Design”, a K-12 design-based learning approach modeled on the best practices of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design and the Stanford D-School.

Provide prospective and existing students fun design activities for building 21st century skills.

MEGA INFOGRAPHIC

200 years of “design by nature” Form ,Function,Systems /Processes 

The idea for this alphabet originated need for branded visual identifier that could be not misconstrued as a separate entity, but rather a sub-brand. These are students from various PhysEd activities like Capoeira, Ballet and yoga. Needless to say we all had a blast (especially me!).

It was April 2005 and the American School of Rio de Janeiro needed to open a new satellite preschool to meet the soaring numbers of expats largely due to an oil boom. A quick succession of branding challenges led to an opportunity to design the school and multi-year contract.

After the opening + 100% matriculation of the preschool I designed,I was retained as to lead communication + design. During the subsequent years I initiated, conceived and executed over a hundred projects and provided guidance on a variety of challenges.

From the very beginning, the focus of my design strategy was on creating value through integrated learning experiences that were consistently implemented, branded and communicated.

Even a calendar can be fun and engaging. Each month, a window into different worlds of knowledge, fuel for curiosity. A running flipbook in the corner, and factoids at the end of each week inspire kids to keep going

My focus was on creating unique own-able value by making the school’s own content, a desired experience. It successfully engaged students because it was irreverent, deep, playful and consistently branded. It was a success with parents because they witnessed their children actively learning to manage their time and organize their work. I was able to get the school to walk their talk which was at the heart of my over-arching strategy.

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Make learning fun,  low cost + low tech AND target S.T.E.A.M.  federal guidelines.

COMPONENTS
3-ring Daily Binder: 
— Pockets for Home-to-School-Home Communication
— Ziploc-ish storage pocket
— GTD for kids
— Subject area color-coded divider insert pocjets  teacher insert-ready
— 8 different Paper stock: designs for each grade +subject
— Color-coded learning unit summary template
— Color-coded classroom storage box by subject area with student id insert pouch
— Discovery Box: where students store discovery summaries when they connect an idea from 1 subject to ideas in another.

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Make learning fun,  low cost + low tech AND target S.T.E.A.M.  federal guidelines.

COMPONENTS SHOWN HERE
— 7  subject, color-coded learning unit summary templates
— 8-12 Educational Unit Summary Templates per subject area
— 7  subject, color-coded classroom storage boxes for each student
— 1 Discovery Box: where students keep each semester's discovery summaries + carry forward year to year

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Make learning fun,  low cost + low tech AND target S.T.E.A.M.  federal guidelines.

COMPONENTS SHOWN HERE
— 7  subject, color-coded learning unit summary templates
— 8-12 Educational Unit Summary Templates per subject area
— 7  subject, color-coded classroom storage boxes for each student
— 1 Discovery Box: where students keep each semester's discovery summaries + carry forward year to year

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

In 2009, I created the “MuseOn”, an alternative learning space that transforms teachers into curators. It is a museum-in-a-classroom that provides students 5 different activities for exploring 1 common theme.

The original “Musaeum” is the ancient Greek origin of the word Museum. More than a collection, the “Musaeum” was an interactive space, dedicated to music, poetry, philosophy and knowledge – a temple dedicated to the muses: to creativity and inspiration. 

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

• 1 THEME THROUGH 5 LEARNING LENSES
•  SHADOW PUPPET THEATER 

In 2009, I created the “MuseOn”, an alternative learning space that transforms teachers into curators. It is a museum-in-a-classroom that provides students 5 different activities for exploring 1 common theme.

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

1 THEME THROUGH 5 LEARNING LENSES

•  PROJECTION MAGNETIC WALL PUZZLE

In 2009, I created the “MuseOn”, an alternative learning space that transforms teachers into curators. It is a museum-in-a-classroom that provides students 5 different activities for exploring 1 common theme.

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

•  WIDESCREEN THEATER
•  4 OF 5 LEARNING LENSES 

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

•  REALTIME PLANETARIUM VIA OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
•  5 OF 5 LEARNING LENSES 

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

— TIMEFRAMES  
— 2 OF 5 LEARNING LENSES 

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AS A BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Designing holistic a 360º experience is a key differentiator for parents when selecting schools.

Designed the furniture to be fun and modular. 

Exterior Signage Projection onto Curved Wall of the "MuseOn",
the world's first "museum-in-a-classroom". 

I conceived the MuseOn as part of a 4+ years of strategic + creative consulting for Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro I started just after arriving in Brazil after leaving NYC.

Prophetic and catalyzing,"the MuseOn" shares the exact DNA of my current educational business "PLAYLab" — a compass inspiring me to creating Design for learning.

Conceived, created, produced, curated by Matthias Brendler | COB01 Design e Comunicação, Rio de Janeiro for Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro.

With deep gratitude for the opportunity to work with such visionary clients like Suely Peçanha, Laura Barros (RIP), Julie Hunt and Shaysann Kuhn at EARJ.