For Boston Children's Hospital, M-O designed a system of donor signage (campaign wall, capital wall, and plaques) inspired by different forms of water, complementing the building’s architectural theme of “Earth to Sky.”

The capital wall is housed in a major lobby vestibule of a newly built wing and alludes to waves, where a white corian surface fluctuates in height and depth to mimic the movement of water.

Installed on a track loading system that facilitates updates and rearrangements, over 1,000 donor names come together in shades of blues to create a pixelated image of a cloud for the campaign wall.

Boston Children’s Hospital

As the top ranked children’s hospital in the nation, the trust and donor relations teams at Boston Children's Hospital wanted a unique way to showcase the names of their financial contributors. They also needed a system that would replace the existing dated donor installations, one that could be implemented around current fixtures and signage, and most importantly, would be mindful of the stringent health standards of a hospital. Excited by Media-Objectives’ playful yet sophisticated use of dimension and color, they tasked M-O with creating donor recognition elements aligned to their mission.

M-O designed a campaign wall, a capital wall, and donor plaques inspired by different forms of water, complementing the building’s architectural theme of “Earth to Sky.” Water sustains life, promotes growth, and benefits the entire environment, mirroring the way that donations sustain the life and mission of the hospital, and allow for continued expansion of its services to children and families.

The capital wall is housed in a major lobby vestibule of a newly built wing and alludes to waves, where its fluctuations in height and depth mimic the movement of water. Recognizing donors instrumental to raising capital for the hospital, the capital wall is designed on a horizontal track loading system to make the annual process of updating names less labor-intensive. Donor names are engraved on a white thermoformed Corian that complements the neutral surrounding architectural palette. Names are infilled with shades of green and blue to correspond with the size of the donation, with matching acrylic tabs marking the end of each donation block.

Intended to showcase contributors to the hospital’s Dare, Dream, and Deliver campaign, the campaign wall is inspired by clouds, visualizing collective contribution. Installed on a track loading system that facilitates updates and rearrangements, 1020 donor names come together in shades of blues to create a pixelated image of a cloud. Names are printed on the back of the acrylic pieces to illustrate the transparency of clouds, as well as to increase legibility of the names themselves. Each plaque plays an essential role in the bigger picture, just as donations work collectively to ensure the success of the Dare, Dream, and Deliver campaign.

As the final installation piece, the capital plaques are fashioned after water droplets, illustrating the ripple effect that a large donation can have on an entire hospital network. Displayed on every floor, the plaques are designed in a three-tiered sizing system that can be clustered into larger displays and are available in four colors that complement the various finishes used across multiple buildings. The plaques use a transparent, three-dimensional rippled acrylic with back-printed donor names layered on a solid, gradient panel. The soft ripple adds subtle movement to the name without impacting its legibility.

These three donor recognition installations honor the generous contributors to the hospital’s growth and success in a way that is both elegant and playful. The encompassing water theme reflects the beauty and adaptability of the installation elements, made to exacting standards of quality through close collaboration with vendors Serigraphics, Bluewater, and Design Fugitives. Already, the donor recognition elements have made a joyful impact on the lives of Boston Children's Hospital employees, visitors, and patients.