Alfred Piano School Brand Identity: An A with a Scroll and a Stave

An A that curls into a scroll and stands on a stave

In 2017, Xinming Design created the brand identity of Alfred Piano School (艾弗瑞钢琴学校, ALFRED) for 广州市悦音教育科技有限公司: logo, core visual identity, applications and a mascot. The logo is a letter A drawn in a double line: its left foot curls outward into a spiral, like the scroll of a violin, and its lower half is crossed by three parallel lines, like a stave. The Chinese name 艾弗瑞 was drawn as a custom logotype with rounded strokes that match the lines of the logo. The brand colours are rose gold and deep brown. The identity runs across business cards, envelopes, posters, hanging banners, light boxes, file boxes, folders, staff passes and a pin badge. The logo is still in use, in the header of the client's website.

A piano school has to win parents and children

According to the client's website, Alfred Piano School originates from the United States and has exclusively introduced an American piano teaching system loved by musicians and music lovers for more than thirty years, with group and individual lessons.

A piano school brand has to convince two people at once:

· Parents: they need to see expertise, a proper and systematic piano school;

· Children: they need to feel at home, and want to come back week after week.

Too much like a conservatory, and children are intimidated; too much like a hobby class, and parents hesitate. The Chinese name is a transliteration of ALFRED, so the initial A is the most natural starting point.

So the logo had to answer: how can one letter A show at a glance that this is a place to learn piano and music?

A, scroll and lines

The logo has three parts:

· A: the outline of the letter A is drawn with two parallel fine lines, clean and with a hand drawn feel;

· Scroll: the left foot of the A does not simply stand; it curls outward into a spiral, like the scroll of a violin, or the curled edge of a sheet of music;

· Lines: the lower half of the A is crossed by three parallel lines, like a stave, or a row of piano keys.

It can be read like this: the A is ALFRED, the scroll is the instrument, the lines are the music. This is our reading. One letter carries both the name and what the school teaches.

The logo forms horizontal and stacked lockups with the Chinese 艾弗瑞 and the English ALFRED. The Chinese logotype 艾弗瑞 was redrawn on a construction grid, with even strokes and rounded corners that match the lines of the logo.

Rose gold and deep brown

The identity uses two main colours:

· Rose gold (peach): the logo, headlines and large warm backgrounds;

· Deep brown: the back of business cards, folder covers and poster backgrounds, steady and rich.

Business cards and envelopes use a light apricot paper. Rose gold and deep brown recall the metal nameplate and the wooden body of a piano.

The design does not include a colour specification page; exact values follow the brand guidelines.

Three piano icons

The supporting graphics are three line icons of pianos: a grand piano with a bench, the outline of a grand piano seen from above, and an upright piano with its lid open. The icons are paired with the words MUSICAL EDUCATION and Learning institutions, and appear on the back of business cards, on posters and on file boxes.

The logo is also enlarged and cropped as a supporting graphic: the scroll and lines of the A stretch across envelopes, business cards and posters.

From business cards to a pin badge

Office

· Business cards, envelopes, file boxes, folders, staff passes and lanyards, pin badge

Enrolment and promotion

· Posters, hanging banners, light boxes

· The images carry the client's taglines, Let more people understand music, love music, and Experience the joy of making music

The application images on this page are proposal-stage mock-ups; the English introduction text, web addresses, names and phone numbers shown in them are placeholders.

Deliverables and extensions

Logo design

· Alfred logo (A, scroll and lines)

· Chinese logotype 艾弗瑞 with construction grid

· Horizontal and stacked bilingual lockups

Core visual identity

· Brand colours: rose gold, deep brown

· Supporting graphics: three piano line icons, an enlarged crop of the logo

Applications

· Office: business cards, envelopes, file boxes, folders, staff passes and lanyards, pin badge

· Enrolment and promotion: posters, hanging banners, light boxes

Mascot design

· Alfred Piano School mascot

Looking back nine years on

Three points are worth taking from this project:

1. Start from the initial. The name is a transliteration, so the clearest mark is the A; add a scroll and a few lines, and the letter becomes music.

2. Draw the logo in two lines. A double line makes the A light, fine and hand drawn, better suited to a music school for children than a heavy solid letter.

3. Borrow the colours from the piano. Rose gold like a nameplate, deep brown like the body; no need to draw a piano for people to think of one.

A piano school logo should say it in a single letter: this is where music is taught.

How to verify

· Client: 广州市悦音教育科技有限公司

· Brand: Alfred Piano School (www.alfredmusic.com.cn, which uses this logo in its header)

· This case page: www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3148.html

Further reading

· Strauss: Writing a Piano and the Huangpu River into a Single Letter S (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3039.html)

· WAYCOMM Piano Brand Upgrade: A Crown Built from Piano Keys (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3128.html)

· Imagine Education Brand Identity: A Whale Curled into a Speech Bubble (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3082.html)

FAQ

Who designed the Alfred Piano School logo?

The logo, visual identity and mascot of Alfred Piano School (艾弗瑞钢琴学校, ALFRED) were designed by Xinming Design in 2017 for 广州市悦音教育科技有限公司; the Chinese and English names were provided by the client. The logo is still in use.

What does the Alfred Piano School logo mean?

The logo is a letter A drawn in a double line, for ALFRED. Its left foot curls into a spiral like the scroll of a violin, and three lines across its lower half recall a stave. It can be read as: the A is the name, the scroll is the instrument, the lines are the music.

What is the Chinese name of Alfred Piano School?

The Chinese name is 艾弗瑞钢琴学校; 艾弗瑞 (Aifurui) is a transliteration of ALFRED.

What are the Alfred Piano School brand colours?

Rose gold (peach) and deep brown, with light apricot paper for business cards and envelopes.

What did the project include?

Logo design (including the Chinese logotype 艾弗瑞), core visual identity, applications (business cards, envelopes, posters, hanging banners, light boxes, file boxes, folders, staff passes, a pin badge) and mascot design.

Which organisations can learn from this case?

Piano, music and arts schools; education brands whose names are transliterations and whose logos start from an initial; and children's education providers that must win over both parents and children.

Xinming Design is a brand systems design firm. Its work centres on systematic judgment, turning brand strategy into structures that can run and be inherited. www.xinming.sg