BRAND STRATEGY AND CREATIVE DIRECTION
FOR A GROUND-UP LIFE SCIENCE BUILDING
BIOTERRA IS A GROUND-UP LAB/OFFICE BUILDING IN SORRENTO MESA, DESIGNED WITH SEAMLESS INDOOR-OUTDOOR ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL AMENITIES — THE DEVELOPER'S FIRST GROUND-UP DEVELOPMENT IN ITS NATIONAL PORTFOLIO.
Scope:
Brand Strategy & Agency Management
Brand Development/Extension
Interior Brand Integration
Event Production
Leasing Collateral
Team:
Jessica Haberer, Creative Direction, Design, Copywriting
Bre Alarcon, Sr. Graphic Designer
Sofia Contreras, Graphic Designer
PGAL, Interiors
Fringe by HYPHN, Art and Decor
Andy Jacobsohn, Photography
Haley Hill, Photo/Video
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
PROJECT BRIEF
The Ask:
A new building was coming to a growing hub of the San Diego scientific community, one designed with warmth and social mixing built in from the start. As the developer's first ground-up development in its national portfolio, it needed a brand identity and launch plan that could stand apart from the competition while matching its progressive indoor-outdoor architecture.
The Direction:
The name Bioterra combines "Bio," for the biotech tenants the building would house, with "Terra" — earth — capturing both the material palette (the building's terracotta) and the emotional tone: warmth, health, and uplift. The name set the brand's central idea: a workplace balancing discovery with community. I hired and directed a brand agency on naming and identity, then worked with the interiors team to carry that identity into the physical space, organized the groundbreaking ceremony and rooftop launch event, and supported leasing teams on all materials.
The Outcome:
The logo draws from the building's own geometric facade pattern, while the interior introduces a contrasting curved topography pattern to represent the earth. Natural materials carried through every touchpoint: herbs replaced standard florals at the groundbreaking, and a coffee stand ran under the line "Fuel for the Future." The rooftop amenities space combines an indoor-outdoor coworking lounge, library, and fitness area — anchored by Madame Butterfly, a custom artwork that wings open to reveal a hidden door to a recreation room. For the amenities launch, invitees received live butterflies in petri dishes, alongside framed insects and growing herbs, extending the earthy, discovery-driven brand into a physical keepsake.
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