Building a new modernist brand.

We’re a company that helps name and shape brands. So when it came time to put a name on our own door, the anxiety set in. We proposed countless names that would set us apart and strengthen our brand story, only to realize someone else got there first. Finally, we rediscovered Bauhaus and recognized a clear connection to our roots in education and our company philosophy. It’s fitting that our brand pays homage to a movement that had the most significant impact on twentieth-century design, especially now as we celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Much as Bauhaus sought to get back to basics, Schoolhaus aims to focus on the nature of each individual challenge -- working together in a collaborative, hands-on way.  

In April 1919, with nearly impeccable timing, a new art school opened its doors in Germany. Aiming to break down the barriers reinforced by World War I, Bauhaus used design as a universal language. Collaboration was at its core, encouraging women and men to work side-by-side, reuniting fine art and functional design, and pairing artists and craftsmen to create practical objects with artistic soul.

The guiding principles were unity of form and function, the idea that design is in service to community, and a belief in the perfection and efficiency of geometry. Design prototypes for industrial production were based on simple geometric shapes and primary colors.

Bauhaus may have been chapter one in the narrative on twentieth-century design but its ideas continue to reverberate through business and popular culture. The concepts of less is more and form follows function live on today, for example, in product design, architecture, software design and UX.

With these principles and our collective experience on the agency and client side, we work with our partners to respond creatively to their greatest business challenges. Each brand, industry and audience is different, providing us with countless opportunities to learn. And the key to our next successful marketing campaign lies near the intersection of form, function, learning and creativity.