long live real learning
The Northwest School
Brand Refresh & Website
With an aging visual identity, and a desire to compete for new students while improving service to their existing constituents, The Northwest School (NWS) hired us to help them tell a unique and compelling story by updating their visual and verbal brand. Their new brand is built around the idea of “real learning,” a concept that comes to life through a rich and versatile identity system.
Client
The Northwest School
Disciplines
Website
Copywriter
Leah Idler
Leah Idler
The House (logo)
The Northwest School’s logo depicts the distinctive old school house at the center of their campus—a structure near and dear to the hearts of students, teachers, and alumni alike. The affinity for the original logo, in addition to the fact that it was designed by a former student, established a rationale for continued use of the symbol as a way to maintain a sense of continuity and legacy. We redrew the logo to fine-tune subtle details and to create a more functional digital file.
The House (illustration)
In addition to the original logo, a more metaphorical “house” illustration was created to represent the idea of “real learning.” It captures the interconnected nature of the NWS program and the warmth and playfulness of the school community. At the same time, it echoes the shape of the beloved house. An extended system of iconography was derived from the house illustration to represent an array of ideas and subject matter.
Website
A new, content-rich and fluid responsive website was one of the most critical touch points we developed for the updated brand. Not only did it need to clearly serve as a recruitment tool, but just as importantly, it needed to empower students, parents and alumni with easy access to critical information.
In close collaboration with the NWS team, Turnstyle developed an engaging digital presence that tells the Northwest School story while also providing a platform for ongoing communication to key audiences. An immersive ambient video on the home page portrays the vibrant school-day experience. Sections about the school, programs and community detail the school’s unique philosophy and approach, while portals organized around students, parents and faculty provide to up-to-date information, calendars, and resources. Built on the Craft CMS, it’s easy for any employee at the school to contribute to or edit the site with an hour or less of training.
Northwest School Magazine
The Northwest School Magazine is published twice a year (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer) and serves families and friends of NWS. It reports on many different subjects relating to the school, its programs, faculty, students and alumni. Our redesign sought to enliven editorial-style layouts with an underlying grid that facilitates hierarchy and negative space. Color-infused typography and imagery further energize the compositions.
Collateral
We designed a wide range of print materials including a view book, posters, postcards, promotional wearables, and brand guidelines specifying visual language elements such as the lively color palette, bold new typography, photographic image treatments, and friendly iconography.
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