In this mountain community of fewer than 7,500 people, Lake County Schools were a district without a brand. The district had worked hard to transform their turnaround schools and achieve the state’s highest rating. Yet the narrative in many parts of their community lagged behind their impressive progress. It was time to craft their messaging and visual identity to reflect the amazing work happening in the schools and the community.
Lake County School District partnered with Springboard Communications in a thoughtful process of authentic brand development. More than just writing a tagline and designing a logo, this process resulted in a strategic and artful representation of their personality, values and story. Most importantly, Springboard facilitated a community-led process that benefited from the insights of the Leadville community every step of the way.
Lake County School District
Our process began with extensive market research, including one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups with parents, students and community members. The art and science in Springboard’s research process unearthed a core insight: Lake County schools are steeped in Leadville’s spirit of adventure and history of remarkable achievements. As a result, the school community believes that their students are capable of anything.
Springboard translated that sense of unlimited possibility into key messages, an elevator pitch and a creative messaging concept or tagline: “Learning Beyond Walls.”
After finding the school district’s story, voice and unique value, we brought those qualities to life in a wholly original visual identity. The new logo captures the sophistication in the approach to teaching and learning while conveying the deep connection to the natural world that is a unique hallmark of the Lake County learning experience.
Teachers and staff, including the most skeptical, were receptive to and proud of the changes. The brand helped the entire community articulate what Lake County Schools stand for and what they believe about themselves and their kids. As luck would have it, the district launched the new brand while also announcing dramatic improvements in school performance — including its intermediate school moving from “turnaround” status to receiving the state’s highest rating.
