Know Yourself. Know the World.™
A New Brand Platform for a Top-Ranked Charter School
“As a top-ranked public charter school, Nova Classical Academy was in need of a brand update that not only accurately depicted our competitive academic position but also reinforced our brand values. MP+G took the time to listen and learn about our culture. They developed a total brand package: a messaging and values platform along with a new brand identity system and a website redesign that will serve us well into the future."
Dr. Brett Wedlund | Executive Director | NOVA CLASSICAL ACADEMY
A Learning Curve to Building a Resilient Brand™
Why a Brand Redesign?
Although Nova consistently ranks in the top schools in the state of Minnesota, many families and students had a limited understanding of what a classical education entailed. And other charter schools from the appearance of their logomarks and websites among other reasons, were perceived as being more advanced, more top-ranking than Nova. Nova was are interested in developing a brand strategy to clarify its position and key messages. The executive director wanted to expand the position to be more inclusive of all that Nova Classical Academy offers and to all who look to Nova Classical Academy for an education. In addition, he saw the brand work as an opportunity to reconnect with families after a year of distance learning.
The Challenge: Getting Everyone On Board and Up To Speed
Nova needed to get staff and teachers on board with the proposed changes and to select a representative group of them to participate on a steering committee in the rebranding process. Not being experts by any stretch of the imagination in classical education, MP+G had a learning curve to get up to speed and obtain a working knowledge of the discipline and a deep enough understanding to help Nova move in the right direction and to write copy that would resonate with their target audiences.
The Result: A Resilient Brand™
A steering committee – led by MP+G, supported by the Nova board of directors and comprised of tenured staff, new teachers, leadership, and parents – identified ways to reflect how Nova Classical Academy has evolved over time to become the exceptional school it is today.
MP+G developed a brand promise that speaks to the Nova Classical Academy mission:
We promise to be an inclusive community with a shared commitment to an exceptional, foundational education.
We strive to cultivate thought and discipline around the mind and heart.
We take pride in our articulate and compassionate graduates as they are poised to engage as thoughtful global citizens.
The Why Behind the Tagline:
Know Yourself. Nova Classical students are empowered to be intellectually curious. They are given the opportunity to explore who they are and what they want to be. A focus on character values in daily interactions instills the habit of engaging with others in a thoughtful, kind-hearted manner. As they grow in knowledge and are encouraged to exercise self-expression and self-discipline, confidence becomes second nature. They learn to know their strengths and abilities and will grow into their own person, prepared and self-assured.
Know the World. Nova Classical students are educated in the time-honored classical traditions and exposed to concepts and philosophies from around the globe. They will learn not only facts but how to gain knowledge. They will analyze, evaluate, and critique information and begin to develop independent thought. And lastly but most importantly, once they have obtained this knowledge, they will develop the skills of argument and persuasion, and become accomplished in the art of communication. They will graduate ready to engage with the world.
The Deliverables:
Brand Strategy: Position, Promise + Personality
Key messages + Tagline
Identity design + Brand style guide
Communications strategy + Implementation plan
Social media templates
Website content + Redesign
Wearables + Promotional Items
A stylized, modern take on the classical Ionic Greek column and the torch of knowledge. The word mark font is clean and commanding. This is a versatile, bold design that lends itself to multiple applications.
Before
Website Redesign: A more visualy welcoming website was designed with today’s Nova families and students in mind. The engaging new content uses key messaging from our brand platform and we worked with the Nova team to bring clarity and deeper understanding around what is meant by a classical education.
New building signage complements the school grounds at the front entryway.
New Facebook and social media headers were created to reinforce the new brand identity.
A fresh, inviting, emotionally appealing website redesign incorporates key personality traits and messaging from the brand strategy platform.
The new branding webpage features a simple, yet detailed style guide for Nova staff and vendors that is self-explanatory and easy-to-use.
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