Salisbury University, located in the state of Maryland (U.S.A.), celebrated its library’s tenth anniversary in 2026. Named the Guerrieri Academic Commons, this library has become the heart of the campus, proudly recognized by The Princeton Review as the ‘Best College Library’ more than once. As part of their library anniversary fundraiser, a representative from Salisbury University Libraries reached out to Playwell Bricks to commission a custom-designed set of this beloved library, the Guerrieri Academic Commons.

The client explained that the design they had in mind would focus on the façade of the library, to capture the look as it faces the campus, rather than a model of the full library. 

Sharing pictures of the Commons, they pointed out the details that the Salisbury University community recognized as iconic of their library. These included the staircase designed to resemble a Maryland crab, a significant nod to local culture, the carillon tower with bells forged at the same manufacturer as the Liberty Bell, and the concrete oval at the building’s entrance that has become a “skateboarder’s dream.”

Playwell Bricks designer Eric Dubois Yang listened carefully to the client’s ideas, studied the pictures, and soon created the first concept. The client responded with more close-ups of the staircase to better capture the look, as well as more photos of the bells and landscaping strips at the entrance. 

Eric used these images to redesign these sections closer to the client’s vision. The bell tower proved tricky to recreate with the needed details in miniature, so Eric suggested that, instead of a decal with just the library’s name, they could print the decal with the tower façade including the name, thus capturing the details that bricks were simply too large to showcase. The client was thrilled with this idea, and when the graphics team delivered a mock-up of the finished set with the decal in place, they signed off on the concept as the final design. This project was ready for production. 

All that was left were the final details, including the marketing content Salisbury University Libraries created for the Build Instructions, explaining the Guerrieri Academic Commons’ history, and packaging. 

Salisbury University included these custom Playwell Bricks sets in their 10th anniversary library fundraiser, offering the sets as a thank-you gift for donors of $100 or more. As an important part of the campus, this is a set that alumni will be sure to treasure and display with university pride and fond nostalgia.

For gifts that reflect culture, elevate relationships, and amplify your message, custom-designed Playwell Bricks sets are an inspired choice. Contact Playwell Bricks and schedule your discovery call today.