The Initial Discussion
We met with Bruce Rudi, Principal of St. Peter Lutheran School, to discuss an overhaul of the informational materials that are handed out to prospective families. In our discussion, it was clear that the story of St. Peter Lutheran School is an impressive one. They have a 150-year tradition of providing excellence in Christian education, starting with preschool through 8th grade. At the time of our meeting they had recently received the National Blue Ribbon Award, which is given by the U.S. Department of Education in recognition of academic excellence.
The Problem
Their current materials were inconsistent both in messaging and visuals. The presentation of the materials was lacking a polished look which felt disjointed from the quality education that St. Peter’s provides.
Additionally, they were wanting a solution for communicating the St. Peter message in a smaller format that could be used for lead generation at school fairs or given in response to initial inquires. The full marketing kit would be sent to those pursuing more information or interested parents requesting more information. During our concepting for this kit we needed to work with the existing St. Peter Lutheran Church & School logo. However, there was opportunity to refresh the current tagline which was “Excellence in Christian Education Since 1864.”
Exploration
At Fresh Folio Design we have many partnerships that we lean into when a need for a project is outside of our expertise. For this project we brought in seasoned copywriter, Steve Essex, to help craft the messaging for this brochure. The current messaging was focused on the strong history of the school. However, the main reasons that families are choosing St. Peter’s has less to do with it’s longevity and more the sense of community, faith development, and quality teachers.
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| “Faith in Your Child’s Future” Sketch | “Inspire Your Child to a Full Life” Sketch |
During the exploration phase of the project we worked through different messaging and visual tones to find the best fit to meet the objectives of the project. One direction developed was “Faith in Your Child’s Future.” This concept emphasized the global perspective of St. Peter’s. Both in the preparation of their students for the future, but also the school’s value of making an impact in the world for Christ. The feel of this piece would have more gravitas, with a palette composed of refined, muted colors. However, this concept lacked the warmth of family and faith that is important to St. Peter’s message.
Another consideration was the whimsical approach of “Inspire Your Child to a Full Life.” This concept would explode with visuals of real-life pictures portraying the opportunities that are provided to the children at St. Peter’s. Whether it is the impressive STEM program, exploration of the arts, technology in the classroom or the teacher-to-student ratio, St. Peter’s has much to offer. This concept would focus on creating a strong energy in the message to excite the reader to want their child to be a part of this community. This concept was missing the heart of St Peter’s and the value that is placed on the growth of each student.
The Fresh Solution
One of the goals that we needed to address was marketing to the “three thresholds”:
1. Movement from preschool into kindergarten
2. Kindergarten into first grade
3. Fifth grade into sixth grade
Speaking to the unique needs and interests of families at each of these three entry points would help to clarify the advantages of the school and increase the number of decisions made for enrollment. In the initial assessment we could see that the logo was a strong visual. It showed a community of people, represented by stylized figures gathered together with a cross at the center.
The logo worked well for the church affiliated with the school, however, we determined that the school could also utilize that same graphic to represent these three thresholds of Early Childhood, Elementary Grades and Middle School. Therefore, we could maximize the existing brand by having each figure represent an age group and the corresponding color would become the identifier for that age group. Our process led us to the creation of the tagline, “Come grow with us.” A warm and inviting message that communicates the value of growth for the student, while also aligning with the school’s vision to become a vibrant learning community where everyone continues to grow.
For the cover we selected one image for each age group. In order to maintain a high quality look, but stay within budget, we determined that royalty-free photography would be the best solution. While the age and gender differed, the overall style of the photo is focused on the happy and engaged student using a shallow depth of field of the classroom environment.
Once inside the brochure we identified the corresponding color section for each age group so that a family could go straight to the pages that pertained to their interest. We also stated the Mission, Vision, and Values of the school so the foundation the school is built on and what guides the decisions-making process are clear.
Each section had a consistent layout, using the image of the student at the top of the page, and then highlighting the focus and special offerings for that age group. Testimonials of families were used, along with a compilation of classroom photos in a band across the bottom of the page. This was also a way to utilize school photos that had been taken over the years, even though some of them were of lower quality in terms of resolution and composition.
The final portion of the brochure highlighted its recent recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School and a strong call to action. In addition, there was also a pocket to hold supplemental materials regarding tuition and information that may change throughout the year.
We discussed the importance of having a size that would work well with the content, but would also stand-out from the materials that other schools provided. As a result we created a 6.5” x 11.5” format. This allowed ample space for content to avoid it feeling too cluttered and crowded. Additionally, the slightly taller and more narrow finished piece would help distinguish it from other school materials.
Once the kit was completed it was modified into a smaller tri-fold brochure which would be a cost-effective solution for initial inquiries or for school fairs, but was still consistent with the refreshed messaging.
Here’s What the Client Had to Say
“As the principal for St. Peter’s I knew that we needed to address our materials in order to stay competitive with other private schools. After considering a number of vendors to work with we chose Fresh Folio Design and we couldn’t be happier with the end result. Their professional approach and attention to every detail of the process helped to keep us on track and resulted in a piece that better served our goals and more accurately reflected our values.”
| Bruce Rudi Principal St. Peter’s Lutheran School |
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