San Diego, California

RaDD: Research and Development District

RaDD began with a bold idea: to transform San Diego’s historic waterfront into a thriving life sciences campus that would do more than host innovation—it would embody it. Set along six dynamic city blocks, the Research and Development District was envisioned not just as a place to work, but as a destination where science, art, culture, and community could converge. RSM Design joined forces with IQHQ, Gensler, OJB, and a collective of creative minds to bring this vision to life. Together, they asked: What would it look like if a research environment truly reflected the place it called home?

Markets

Services

Client

IQHQ
Gensler

ADVANCING THE IDENTITY OF RADD

RSM Design took the existing identity of RaDD and refined it, sharpening the edges to make it bold, legible, and unmistakable from a distance. Echoing the district’s namesake, design cues drew from the visual language of chemistry, molecular structures, elemental grids, and dynamic notations, creating a visual rhythm that both anchored and energized the space. Each tweak was intentional: lines became bolder, contrasts heightened, and forms simplified to strike that rare balance between science and soul. What emerged was a brand system that could stand tall on the skyline, yet feel right at home underfoot, a symbol of innovation in motion, grounded in clarity and built to connect.

A LIVING ECOSYSTEM OF IDEAS ROOTED IN PLACE

RaDD unfolded through principle-centered design—rooted in San Diego’s natural beauty, its layered history, and the rhythm of its people. From the tidal charts and kelp beds to the chaparral, Torrey Pines, and city skyline, every design decision echoed the land and the lifestyle. Public art became landmarks. Signage became storytelling. Surfaces carried subtle scientific geometries and coastal hues, all curated to guide, delight, and ground. But more than anything, RaDD was built for people. It’s a place lit up by the thinkers, doers, and dreamers of San Diego—the free radicals who catalyze change. And in the in-between spaces, where everyday moments spark curiosity and collaboration, RaDD has become more than a district. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem of ideas.

Embedding artful moments
into a a campus of innovation

Every layer of detail adds dimension to RaDD’s living identity.

EXPANDING THE MARK

RSM Design expanded the RaDD brand by applying the mark in unexpected ways throughout the built environment. Using texture, shape, color, and material, the design team reinterpreted the identity beyond traditional signage, weaving it into surfaces, structures, and details. These layered applications created moments of discovery that reinforced the brand’s presence while adding depth, energy, and a sense of place across the district.

Where creativity & discovery converge on the San Diego bay.

Collaborators:

OJB