Once you’ve done the hard work of recognizing your school is in need of a rebrand, you enter the next phase of work. Entering a rebrand process! Whatever the catalyst for a rebrand, there are a few key things to keep in mind as you rebrand your school.
1. Define your rebrand goals.
No matter what, you want to have a clear understanding of what you hope to accomplish by undergoing a rebrand.
Typically a school will expect a few outcomes. Alignment is vital. A rebrand often comes about when a school realizes there is not alignment in regards to who they are and who they want to be perceived as. Sometimes this misalignment is internal. There’s a lack of unity within the team on the overall vision of the school brand. Sometimes the misalignment is external, when a school realizes that their market does not perceive them in the desired way.
No matter the type of misalignment, a rebrand process can help get things on the right track. A rebrand can also help elevate and unify a school’s visual identity. Many schools undergo a rebrand when they realize their logo is outdated, poor quality, or inaccurate in portraying the personality of the school.
Before you engage in a rebrand process, you want to have some expectations on what the outcome of the rebrand should be. This will determine what agency will be a good fit for you, how much time and investment you should anticipate, and who on your team should be in the rebranding process.
2. Prepare for a marathon.
Rebranding your school is a big decision and big investment. It’s vital that it’s given a proper timeline. No matter the reason that spurs on a rebrand, you want to make sure it’s done right. Hiring the right branding agency is important, as well as understanding what a successful rebrand will look like. And out of the many things that go into a successful rebrand, one of the most important is time.
A primary reason to give ample time to the rebrand process is making sure there’s internal agreement. It’s never a good idea to change without reason or to try to jump on passing trends. Your aim for a rebrand should be to land at a long-term, sustainable and effective brand. This means having good and challenging conversations as you align your strategy.
Having these strategic conversations can take time. If your school’s decision-making team is not bought into the brand’s direction, you cannot expect a warm reception from your school body and community.
The branding agency you work with should ensure that your team’s visions and voices are considered throughout the process. And having a roll-out plan is helpful in making sure the new brand is introduced to your community in the best light.
3. Select your dream team
A typical challenge with schools in the rebrand process is figuring out the right balance of influence. Too many cooks in the kitchen is problematic. And a rebrand process is full of decisions that should not be determined by a big committee.
The best rebrand will come when you assemble a nimble, precise team of decision-makers. Because your school’s brand is tied to emotions, memories, and legacies, it can be challenging to consider any changes. But if you’re at the point of investing in a rebrand, you need a team that is able to think critically about what elements of the brand to keep and what to evolve. You need people willing to part with bad logos or edit long-standing taglines.
The right rebrand team is dependent on the size of your school. But in general, you want people from your team who have the most influence and proximity to your school’s brand. Your head of school or principle is a must, since they bring the long-term vision. A marketing or communications director is important because they work most closely with brand touchpoints. If you have a director of advancement, they are a great voice to have in the room since they bring a forward-thinking perspective.
