Education. Reimagined.
Rebranding Kaleidoscope Charter School
Creative Direction, Print and Web Design

THE OPPORTUNITY AND PROJECT OVERVIEW
Partnering with MP+G Marketing Solutions to design a new logo, communication channels and websites for Kaleidoscope Charter School to visually represent key brand messages and brand personality discovered during the strategic plan, brand strategy and positioning phases along with numerous interview findings.
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New Kaleidoscope Logo and Tagline. Design thinking inspiration came from a variety of sources (keeping in mind key brand messages and personality traits): Calder’s mobiles, Japanese origami, compass faces, telescopes, and constellations. The gradated treatment makes the logo pop, giving it energy. A bold modern sans serif typeface was chosen for its round openness, to hold up at smaller sizes and to avoid awkward lower case letter descenders.
Not Your Typical Big Blocky Letter Identity. Kaleidoscope needed to break from that tradition found across so many learning institutions for a look that conveys its unique approach to education and nurturing students’ character and confidence. See the new Kaleidoscope logo in action.
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Compare The Old With The New. Shown above is the Kaleidoscope before the project began. One of the design considerations was to move away from the primary school colors blue and red — Kaleidoscope wanted to visually represent itself as the full fledged K-12 grade educator it had become and the primary colors and over all look felt too elementary.
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Flat Color Version of the New Kaleidoscope Logo. A flat color version was needed to give school administrators a clear idea what the new school colors would be and help facilitate the design of the school’s athletics mascot “Kaleidoscope Comets.” A flat color version of the new logo could be applied in cases where the gradated logo would not be suitable. A four-page style guide was created to outline proper uses and applications for both gradated and flat versions of the new Kaleidoscope logo.
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Kaleidoscope Education. Reimagined. Video. The new Kaleidoscope logo animates to show the school spirit and energy makes Kaleidoscope the school of choice. Video creative direction by MP+G Marketing Solutions, video production by Captivate Media+Consulting.
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Back to School Information Packet. In the past, Kaleidoscope Charter School would send parents a loose collection of required and optional forms to fill out for their child(ren) prior to the beginning of the school year. To start introducing the new Kaleidoscope branding to students and families, an information packet was designed containing welcoming messages from the superintendent, principal, and staff along with the necessary forms. This “branded” information packet was mailed flat in an envelope to include a personalized letter to each student.
The Back to School Information Packet is a way for Kaleidoscope to “step up” its communications with families by providing a welcoming message with a useful checklist to prepare each student for the new school year.
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Kaleidoscope District and School Websites. One of the issues the Kaleidoscope rebranding wanted to accomplish was to change the perception that Kaleidoscope is “considered primarily a special education school, educating only elementary level students” when in reality Kaleidoscope is a full fledge K-12 charter school of choice. What makes Kaleidoscope special is its warm and welcoming environment — everyone knows your name. It has a commitment to meeting students where they are at, instilling confidence, curiosity, and creative problem-solving — traits that will be imperative for students ongoing success in the 21st century. Kaleidoscope engages talented and energetic teachers that bring out the best in their students and encourages parents involvement as part of their child(ren)’s education.
Like many school districts around the country, Kaleidoscope utilizes Blackboard as its web technology service provider and Blackboard web templates as the platform for its websites. As part of the rebranding project and after careful research, considering Kaleidoscope’s needs and weighing a select number of templates strengths and weaknesses, a web template was selected to create a new look and feel for Kaleidoscope’s websites. Shown are the homepage of the District and each school. The homepage slider provides a way to illustrate Kaleidoscope’s key messages and personality.
DELIVERABLES
Brand Identity + Logo Suite
Branding Style Guide
E-newsletter Template
Social Media Templates
Back to School Information Packet
Website Design
PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHERS
Debra Fisher Goldstein Photography
MANITOU WEDDING & EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOUT KALEIDOSCOPE
Founded in 2004, Kaleidoscope has and continues to be a Public Charter School of Choice — a caring community of educators that embraces each student’s unique talents and motivates them to emerge as confident and curious contributors to the world.
Authorized by Volunteers of America (VOA), Kaleidoscope educates approximately 600 students from K-12 on a one-building campus located in Otsego, MN. While its enrollment has increased, Kaleidoscope maintains small class sizes (14 to 1 ratio of students and licensed teachers) to ensure hands-on, one-on-one learning experiences for all its students.
Visit Site: Kaleidoscope Charter School to learn more.