As the audit revealed, English language schools also tend to fall into the superficial perception of "London — it's Big Ben."
The challenge in packaging a multilingual school lies in avoiding a design that feels too neutral. The Chinese direction is central to LOCAL POINT, so the brand identity will communicate with a "Chinese accent."

The main stylistic motifs are closely tied to our target audience.
Our clients are mostly affluent or ambitious individuals who focus on increasing their income, improving their quality of life, building a successful career, and securing their children's future.
To stand out and attract a wealthy audience, we need an image of a fashionable, modern China. From traditions, we only take calm motifs, avoiding dragon illustrations and the red-black contrast. A too-youthful, edgy theme won't work either, as our target audience consists of intelligent, educated people who value quality.

Modern visual Chinese culture is an eclectic mix: minimalism, grunge, pop. We explore contemporary Chinese aesthetics through magazine covers and advertising posters.

The best way to understand culture is through the lens of the food industry—it typically responds to trends the quickest and adapts easily. The textures, fonts, and color combinations used in this sector will serve as the foundation for our brand identity.

Alongside expressive dining spaces, there are calm, minimalist residential areas. A color palette is emerging: light gray with small red accents, and possibly drawings outlined in thin red lines.

For the LOCAL POINT brand, the ideal setting would be a loft-style space that recreates the atmosphere of modern China. The design ideas for the facade will depend on the actual location: if the school has a storefront, glass will be actively incorporated into the design, while if it’s a wall, a bold, solid-colored sign will be used.

Interior ideas include newspapers and magazines on a solid dark wall. A green zone: if a full garden isn’t feasible, at least dedicate a meter of wall space to greenery. The bathroom and its design also impact the overall perception of the space.
Instead of traditional desks, we suggest creating a living room-like environment: a sofa, armchair, cushions on the floor, allowing each person to choose a comfortable spot. An industrial backdrop with a spool could work, while the rest of the design should remain neutral.
Minimalism, without a strict tie to China, is important, especially since the school will also have an English department. White tiles, for example, are popular in Eastern street food settings and interiors, but they don’t necessarily reference China. What's key is how they’re presented—if paired with glowing Chinese characters, it creates a distinct Chinese atmosphere.

In the brand identity, there is no need for a single pattern or color scheme across all materials. For example, the notebook cover can resemble a traditional silk painting, while the folder might look like the cover of a fashion magazine, and so on.

Alternative and simpler solutions could include incorporating absolute minimalism in some materials, such as a plain white notebook with just a red ribbon bookmark.

An additional technique that will come in handy is the use of color spots. We can add Chinese characters, symbols, and hand-drawn illustrations to enhance the visual appeal.

Seal carving is considered one of the four unique arts that make up China’s cultural heritage, alongside painting, calligraphy, and poetry. When creating ancient seals, special attention was paid to the delicate balance between the characters, as well as between the empty and filled spaces.
We’re aiming for the right outline: Chinese characters are more angular than Japanese or Korean ones. It’s important that the angles and the rounded letter inside the symbol emphasize its connection to China. Since the symbol itself may be complex to interpret, we complement it with a descriptor on the right—duplicating the name and specifying the type of activity.

In our search for the brand’s typography, we create examples of communication. We avoid the common mistakes of most language schools, which focus on showcasing the learning process or recognizable landmarks from the country of the studied language. Instead, we refer to deeper motivations: people learn the complex Chinese language for various reasons, but most often to succeed in their careers and secure high-paying jobs at international corporations. We don’t just encourage language learning—we show the opportunities it offers and subtly suggest that we are the key to such a future.

In Russia, visual identities often rely on exaggerated or cliché references to a country’s identity. For example, in a shopping center like "London Mall," you might find red phone booths and black cabs in the interior, while a Russian restaurant in London may have Pavlovo Posad shawls hanging from chandeliers—tourist symbols, which no longer represent what ordinary Russian women wear. These visual shortcuts become overused and outdated.
We aim to avoid these mistakes, focusing on more authentic, nuanced representations of culture without resorting to obvious stereotypes.

We don't ignore the bright symbols of each culture, but instead of using them literally, like a "Mind the gap" sign on the wall, we propose playing with different techniques. For example, the "Welcome" sign could be made from lightbulbs, like the facades of American theaters, from neon, like the signs in China, or in the form of a street address plaque, like those in England. This approach allows us to reference cultural symbols in a more creative and subtle way.

LOCAL POINT is a trendy, almost "club-like" spot, with its progressiveness highlighted through street-style photos used as covers for textbooks, neon signs reminiscent of city streets, and instant photos that can be gifted to students after completing a course or workshop. This adds a unique, modern touch that connects with the youthful, energetic atmosphere of the brand.

The brand identity turned out to be so versatile that for the English language branch, the changes are minimal: a red door instead of a wooden one, a more Western-style approach to the entrance design, and British faces on the covers of textbooks and notebooks.

Practicality is key: investments in the interior should be minimal, and all decor should be movable, so it can be disassembled and transported to a new space in case the location changes.
At the start, the school will have minimal staff. For meetings or administrative work, we’ve included a folding table, which can also be used by students during after-school programs.

Inspired by Eastern screen curtains, we found an original solution—several panels made of banner fabric, mounted on a rail, allowing for flexible compositions regardless of the size of future spaces. Technically, this can be achieved with a ceiling track mounted on a sturdy aluminum frame. This curtain rod can be attached to the wall on holders or up to the ceiling.
For the tea ceremonies, we’ve prepared references for the tableware—without the typical Chinese clichés, of course.

We’ve separately selected references for poses and angles, with ready-made ideas on how to interact with the space and objects. No demonstrative poses or unnatural expressions. The gaze should be direct, serious, slightly aloof, as if the photographer is an ex-boyfriend who says, “I’ve figured it out and understood everything.” :)
Clothing is also important: understated, but no outdated styles—think Vogue. The instructor, who masters modern methods, should look the part. If holding a textbook, it should be an art object, with irony rather than an imposing “I’m a strict teacher” statement.

It turned out stylish, trendy, youthful, and not academic. After this photoshoot, it’s easy to approach a young, progressive audience without hesitation.

Since the school was just opening and feedback was already needed, feedback was collected from students of teachers whose tutors they had worked with long before the school opened. In order to get informative insights, a questionnaire was developed, in the questions of which they were asked to characterise the teacher, his/her approach and human qualities, and to describe their personal path of language learning - motivation, starting point, successes. The results were not reviews, but real stories. For those who are too lazy to read the whole text, the key idea is highlighted by the title, it contains both the pain of clients and the expected results. All that remains is to bring photos of different quality to a uniform style using a B&W filter, and where photos were not sent, to put a neutral image.

Alternate China photos, teacher portraits and branded backgrounds with titles to create a checkerboard order in the account. Branded element: rounding the corners. Only one accent in each photo. Dusty colours: pastels, dusty greys, blues, muted greens, lots of light, red detail.