CLIENT: Westbridge Academy
After a name change, complete branding process, and smooth transition, the Child Development Center is now Westbridge Academy. The branding process included creation of new logo, brochure, website, and newsletter. It is now able to highlight its strengths, attract new students, and convey the professional nature of the school.
Name Change
When Child Development Center was founded 30 years ago, it was one of the only special needs schools in the state. In fact, the school’s founder, helped to craft special needs laws in New Jersey. But in the current environment, the school’s name presented several problems. First, the world â€Child†was inaccurate since the school expanded past elementary school to high school. Second, the word â€Center†made it seem that it was not a school. And third, students were embarrassed to say that they went to a â€Development Center†and so the acronym CDC was often used, losing all meaning for the school.
After several years of deliberation about changing the name, They called Red Rooster Group to facilitate the name change. We led them through a name change process that included:
- Conducting a competitive landscape review to assess other special needs schools in New Jersey.
- Interviewing with child study teams responsible for referring students to special needs schools.
- Having extensive conversations with key leadership at the school about their needs.
- Facilitating a naming workshop to involve staff in the process.
- Generating hundreds of names for consideration.
- Vetting names for potential conflicts.
The name Westbridge Academy was selected for its suggestion of the school serving as a bridge between students special needs and their return to the regular school environment. The new name removes the misperceptions and stigma associated with the old name, and positions the school positively in the new school landscape.
Logo / Visual Identity
Once the name was determined, we developed a logo that forms a bridge from an open book. The logo design process included:
- Exploring various concepts.
- Developing the selected design direction.
- Testing various color schemes.
- Creating final logo files for print and online use.
Brochure
The school’s brochure explains their unique approach to helping kids. The audience for the brochure are the special needs departments at schools aimed towards getting referrals.
Website
The website portrays a fresh new look and helps keep parents and educators at the school districts informed about school activities and news related to special needs education. An easy to use website promoting the right qualities of the school features a calendar of events, photo gallery, and a blog.
Newsletter
Since the school districts are responsible for referring students who need special help, we created a newsletter to help them learn more about Westbridge Academy and the types of students they can best help. The newsletter conveys the school’s hands-on, integrated approach to learning, student activities, community involvement and professional development. Every article in the newsletter focuses on a specific attribute of the school that is important for the districts to know about the school.
A Fast Facts box helps child study team members quickly learn about who Westbridge Academy serves so they can make appropriate referrals.
Results
After the rebranding, and newsletters, the school is reversing its five year decline in student enrollment.
“Howard’s support and guidance have proven invaluable in transforming our brand. Having outgrown our name after more than 35 years, a couple of years ago our private school underwent the process of a name change, website upgrade, new logo, etc.  While that process can prove to be quite formidable, Howard simplified the various steps needed to help us reach our goal. The response has been fantastic and everyone loves the new name and logo. We have received high praise for our updated website and our newsletters — some of our competitors even say the website is the “gold standard†for private school websites!”
–Viviana Litovsky, Director, Executive Director, Westbridge AcademyÂ
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Red Rooster Group is a New York based graphic design firm that creates effective brands, websites, and marketing campaigns to increase your visibility, fundraising, and communications effectiveness. Contact us about your project.