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NUBO – A FIRST OF ITS KIND KIDS’ PLAY CENTRE WHERE PURE PLAY RULES

Announcement posted by Frost*Collective 15 Mar 2017

A space conceived and designed by Frost*collective with Hong Kong’s PalDesign Architects

15 March, Sydney: Working in collaboration with Joey Ho and Patrick Leung of PalDesign Architects, Frost*collective was commissioned to work on a new concept in children’s play spaces that is understood to be the first of its kind in Australia.

Built around best practices for early childhood education through the lense of play, NUBO supports play and educational growth through exploration and connection. The new centre, located in Sydney’s Alexandria, is suitable for children 0-10 years and officially launches today.

NUBO tapped into brand and design expertise across the Collective. Frost* Design created the strategy, identity, branded collateral and promotional items; Urbanite was asked to deliver signage and environmental design across the 768sqm floor space, and The Nest designed and developed the NUBO website.

Commenting on the idea and build of the new play centre, NUBO’s Chief Imagination Officer said, “The aim of NUBO is to steer away from the typical play centre clichés of bright colours, plastic toys and computer screens. We are promoting a sense of ‘pure play’ through a beautiful, clean and considered space where parents and children can interact during the entire play process.”

To articulate the notion of ‘pure play’ in a way that could resonate with both parents and children, the concept needed to be anchored by a core creative idea.

Imagined by Frost*Design, the word Nubo translates as ‘cloud’ in Esperanto, a language invented in the late 1870’s to foster harmony between people from different countries. The creative idea itself was inspired by the brand name.

“We then came up with the idea of cloud gazing that conjures up unique and different things for different people,” said Ant Donovan, Group Creative Director, Frost*collective. “This singular idea – of exercising the imagination - informed the architectural design concept, while also steering the direction of our brand identity and feeding into Urbanite’s branded environment signage strategy.”

The logo utilises the ‘B’ as a cloud device, and this is carried across all brand touch points and integrated into the illustration style. The outcome is a childlike, stunningly simple and versatile brand expression that speaks directly to the audience and is unquestionably consistent with the brand’s intent.

NUBO’s environment offers a range of elements and tools to nurture healthy minds, bodies and spirits. Features include a stunning library weaved around a giant hot air balloon where kids can curl up to read their favourite book; a building room full of Big Blue Blocks, MagFormers and Kaleido Gears; a zone for active play including a giant climbing frame where little ones can slide, climb and hide; the Nubo Café with an emphasis on healthy, wholesome food made fresh to order; a range of children’s master classes including cooking, art, music and coding; and facilitated play sessions.

“We know that play nourishes children’s early development and we want NUBO to be part of that journey,” Nubo’s Chief Imagination Officer continued."Working with Joey Ho and the Frost*collective team has been an exciting and enriching experience. The outcome is quite stunning and we have already received incredibly positive feedback from parents and children who have visited.”

Concluded Donovan, “Watching kids interact in an environment offers real insights into the learning process. Seeing kids play at NUBO, I witnessed a genuine and honest delight indicating that if children have the opportunity to interact with quality spaces their interactions can be incredibly valuable.”

-ends- 

Credits

Group Creative Director: Anthony Donovan, Frost*collective
Senior Designer:
Alex Dalmau, Frost*Design
Junior Designer: Kieran Mistry, Frost*Design 
Strategy Director: Catriona Burgess, Frost*collective
Strategist: Jeanne Ogilvie, Frost*collective
Client Services Director:
Emma Stone, Frost*Design
Account Director:
Max Delplanque, Frost*Design
Senior Digital Producer: Kate West, The Nest
Senior Digital Designer: Zion Wu, The Nest
Developers:
Minh Hoang & Isaac Martin, The Nest
Design Manager: Hannah Radford, Urbanite
Environments Design Director: Maria Briganti, Urbanite
Designer: Yvonne Tong, Urbanite 

About Frost*collective

We are a collective of strategists, built-environment specialists, digital innovators and highly creative designers who are dedicated to designing a better world with every project. We offer the benefits of collaboration across Frost*collective which is at the intersection of digital, physical and visual experiences. We work with businesses to create products and solutions, tailored to our client needs, that transcend technologies, channels and media with a focus on the overall experience. frostcollective.com.au 

For all media enquiries

Chantal Omodiagbe
Communications Manager
0420 542 451
chantal.omodiagbe@frostcollective.com.au