Smallicieux, A playful and expressive logo for la Cité des Enfants "away from base"

Le Palais de la Découverte and la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie have been operating the permanent exhibition “Cité des enfants” for nearly 30 years on its site at la Cité des sciences in Paris. Accessible from the age of 2, it is an educational entertainment offer that raises awareness and accompanies children in their discovery of the world.

Graphéine helped Universcience to create the new cultural brand “Smallicieux” as a new step in the development of the brand “Cité des enfants”.

This strategy is based on the integration of existing or original children’s facilities in a variety of environments, such as shopping malls. In line with the values of the Cité des enfants, “Smallicieux” was inaugurated at the end of 2020 with a first opening at the Lillenium center in Lille.

A smart logo, merging typography and a mischievous emoji!

The name Smallicieux was born from the fusion of the words “Small” and “malicieux”. An English/French association that embodies the ambition and history of the project. A smart name that both describes and characterizes the audience targeted by Smallicieux experience. To represent the fun and educational world of Smallicieux, we focused on emotion by depicting the enthusiasm, smiles and mischief of the children who set off on their discovery.

By designing the “S” of Smallicieux in a cursive style that refers to children’s school writing, we create a round and benevolent loop. The reversed semicolon in front of the “S” suddenly transformed the letter into a mischievous face! The rest of the wordmark has been designed to match the playful graphics of the lettering and to allow the best possible integration of the lettering/Emoji in the word. The inclusion of a wink and a smile within the typographic block brings the logo to life while remaining minimalist.

An appropriate visual identity for the cultural entertainment offer

Smallicieux logo enriches Universcience’s brand platform, clearly identifying la Cité des enfants “away from base” facilities, first in France, then in Europe, and in the rest of the world in the long term.

The creation of this visual identity establishes the new Smallicieux brand in the cultural entertainment landscape in France and abroad. It enhances the Smallicieux offer by distinguishing it from other brands and events aimed at families in commercial environments; and it strengthens the reputation of la Cité des enfants in the country and internationally.