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De La Salle North Catholic High School Experiential Graphics

Portland, OR

De La Salle North Catholic High School Experiential Graphics

Portland, OR

As the most diverse private high school in Oregon, we work hard to celebrate the diversity and culture of our students, past and present. The Bora team was especially attuned to helping us pull out these stories and and lift them up into the process of our design.

Ashleigh de Villiers
Interim President, De La Salle North Catholic High School

The EGD at De La Salle North Catholic High School places the students first, visually reinforcing the school’s mission to keep its students at the heart of the school. 

We designed each art piece to showcase the power of education and its ability to propel students toward a bright future. Dynamic, youthful concepts are respectful without being overly reverent, drawing upon geometric symbolism found in art, repetition, and a sense of movement for inspiration. 

Lasallian Portrait
At the entrance to the high school, visitors are greeted by a portrait of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the patron saint of teachers. This portrait, comprised of the 900 students to date who have graduated from the school, symbolizes the deep connection between the student body and the faculty who serve and guide them.  

Corporate Work Study Program Wall
An integral part of De La Salle North Catholic’s education is to give students access to valuable workplace skills and mentorship through its Corporate Work Study Program. Through this program each student spends one day a week working in a corporate entry-level position, a partnership that also helps fund their rigorous college preparatory curriculum. We designed a flexible display system outside the school’s reception area featuring photos of the current student body, each paired with the logo of their corporate partner, to reflect this valuable experience. 

Student Corridor
The south corridor, a 300’ long stretch of classrooms, presented the perfect location to pay homage to the 20+ years of memories made at De La Salle High School’s prior homes. For this space the EGD team created a composition of frames rendered in the symbolic shapes found in classical religious artwork. Circles symbolize unity and eternity; triangles reference the Holy Trinity; and squares speak to our earthly existence. The framed collection showcases Lasallian core values mixed with treasured spaces and artwork from De La Salle’s prior location—including a 20-foot mural painted by students at the former school. Tackable surfaces are integrated into the composition, encouraging students and faculty to add new memories as they are made in their new home. 

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve
De La Salle’s motto, “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve,” is incorporated into the Commons at the entrance to the Lasallian Youth Ministry space through a dynamic script layout in the school colors.  

Donor Wall
The new school was made possible by nearly 100 generous donations. To recognize the value of these gifts, we created a donor wall in large windows visible from the central courtyard and along the path to the Commons. The donor wall reimagines the classic look of stained glass, housing a series of etched acrylic plaques within a metal frame. As the sun shifts position, the reflected light washes the inner corridor with De La Salle’s brand colors.  

Collaborators

Donor Wall and corridor frames: CREO Industrial Arts 

Lasallian Portrait and Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve: Sign Wizards