Ampersand Emporium
Refreshing a college art supply store on a budget.
Refreshing a college art supply store on a budget.
User Experience
Identity
Design
Illustration
Environmental
Ampersand Emporium is the one-stop art supply store at the Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD). Serving students, prospective students, alumni, and the broader campus community, it stocks essential materials while offering plenty of branded swag. After several years with little visual evolution since its 2017 opening, the store needed a refresh to better welcome and energize its creative audience.
CHALLENGE
On a limited budget, I needed to update the store’s presence to improve the overall user experience without a full overhaul. The solution had to feel dynamic and ownable to an art college environment, clearly communicate the store’s role as a central hub for supplies and merchandise, and work across both physical and digital applications — especially environmental signage inside and around the store.
On a limited budget, I needed to update the store’s presence to improve the overall user experience without a full overhaul. The solution had to feel dynamic and ownable to an art college environment, clearly communicate the store’s role as a central hub for supplies and merchandise, and work across both physical and digital applications — especially environmental signage inside and around the store.
INSIGHT
Through interviews with students, it became clear that many felt the store was functional but uninspiring. Some didn't even know it existed. An art supply store in a creative college should feel like an extension of the studios themselves: energetic, organized, and inspiring. By building directly on CCAD’s existing brand guidelines, there was an opportunity to create a flexible, modular system that celebrates the diversity of the college’s 11 majors while maintaining strong visual cohesion and school spirit.
APPROACH
I developed a refreshed brand identity and environmental signage system rooted in CCAD’s core guidelines. The result is a modular visual language that is cohesive, dynamic, and punchy.
The system was intentionally budget-conscious, leveraging existing brand elements while introducing fresh, adaptable components that could be implemented incrementally.
Through interviews with students, it became clear that many felt the store was functional but uninspiring. Some didn't even know it existed. An art supply store in a creative college should feel like an extension of the studios themselves: energetic, organized, and inspiring. By building directly on CCAD’s existing brand guidelines, there was an opportunity to create a flexible, modular system that celebrates the diversity of the college’s 11 majors while maintaining strong visual cohesion and school spirit.
APPROACH
I developed a refreshed brand identity and environmental signage system rooted in CCAD’s core guidelines. The result is a modular visual language that is cohesive, dynamic, and punchy.
The system was intentionally budget-conscious, leveraging existing brand elements while introducing fresh, adaptable components that could be implemented incrementally.
