Education of children and young people towards a happy and successful life has never been, and will never be, constrained to the classroom. For Bildungslandschaft St. Johann in Basel, we created a emoticon based branding system. Each local institution developed its own unique symbol together with children and young people using a kit of predefined shapes and color schemes. This participatory approach allowed for a shared visual identity across schools and after-school groups, without overriding their individual character. The emoticons as a branding system became a playful and inclusive tool to strengthen visibility and cohesion within the neighborhood.