Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Bold.
Branding for SoWashCo Schools
Unity and student voice—South Washington County Schools believed their existing branding wasn’t highlighting these important values. The suburban district of almost 20,000 students encompasses 24 schools, just outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro.
CEL partnered with South Washington County Schools to refresh their branding and messaging. The district wanted memorable, meaningful and equitable—which started with students. Their feedback led to a full rebrand as SoWashCo Schools; aligning the district language with that of students.
"We love our brand. Your branding work with us and the process for gathering information made sense. People across the board felt heard – from staff to students to board members. Your process was a really nice way to engage and deliver to education. Everything about how we want our kids to learn, your team did an excellent job with us"
~Julie Nielsen, SUPERINTENDENT
The redesigned brand logo is a simple wordmark that presents SoWashCo schools as modern, fun and friendly. CEL designers incorporated some of the colors used within the 24 unique school logos, ensuring that every school meshed well with the overall district logo.
The colors and patterns represent values that are important to SoWashCo Schools: accessibility, relatability, collaboration: unity. The circular design represented in the logo pattern is carried through posters, website design, badges, district stationery templates, etc. This cohesive design ensures a strong brand and a strong story.
Students reported that the mission statement “igniting a passion for lifelong learning” no longer resonated with modern students. The CEL team developed a tagline to be incorporated across the district: Be seen. Be heard. Be bold.
The tagline and rebranding unify the district as a student-centered organization and update the brand to represent the future of education where student voice is heard, valued and incorporated.
Together the branding and messaging showcase SoWashCo Schools as a district that puts students first.
