Willows Preparatory School | Rebrand

Nestled in the lush pine-tree landscape of North Redmond, Washington, Willows Preparatory School (WPS) is a private grades 5-12 school with an IB curriculum and a student population with backgrounds from over 35 different countries. 

WPS offers a top-notch education, but their outdated brand identity failed to communicate the diversity and excellence they foster. Together, we recreated it.

PINPOINTING THE PROBLEM

As the years ticked by, WPS continued its prestigious operation while its brand became sidelined and antiquated. Often, the most successful brands fail to update their brand strategy and identity as they lack the time and creative efforts to do so.

The old WPS brand was unpolished and undeveloped, not indicative of the first-rate education landing WPS students at terrific universities and into prominent jobs in the STEM fields.

TUCKING MEANING INTO EVERY CORNER

In Redmond, Washington, just north of Seattle, WPS is situated as a uniquely distinct three-peaked building edged by a thick forest of pine trees. The new logo ties together the ideals of education, the iconic sharp-edged rooftops of WPS’s building, and the enriching location where the school has proudly planted its roots.

A pencil and bookmark, two images that instantly evoke the idea of education, are built into the logo’s icon. At its heart lies a pine tree, grounding the school in its Pacific Northwest roots. Crowning the icon is a silhouette of the school’s three-peaked building. Together, these elements compose a powerful and recognizable school crest that’s simple, yet deeply layered and nuanced.

CRAFTING AN AUTHENTIC IDENTITY

Anchoring the identity around the reinvented logo, we created a refreshed color palette, compelling patterns, and updated typography for WPS. A school has a multitude of brand touchpoints, so it was vital to give WPS the tools to let their identity reach all edges of their brand. With a robust identity system in place, they'll be able to reestablish and reinforce their brand for years to come.

See the full case study and more work at here. Thank you for viewing and appreciating this work!

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