Some organizations consider branding as ordering business cards and t-shirts with a new logo and font design, but for Troup County School System, branding is more than a logo. It is a visual story that creates conversations about a particular brand’s culture – and in this case Yolanda Stephen said that brand is now Troup County School System.

Stephen, Public Relations Director for TCSS, shared that the school system has long been recognized by a black and white circular logo that contains a crest, torch, and book inside of the image. Over the years, several taglines replaced one-after-another until there was confusion about which tagline was the correct one. In addition, she states the boom in technology has made the use of hardcover books scarce in classrooms.

“Essentially, our visual identity was dated and became lost over the years. Education looks different than it did two decades ago, but we looked the same. We needed to bring a fresh, cohesive look and feel through our vision, logo, and tagline – something that our employees, students, parents, and community members can connect with,” she said.

In addition, internally there was a realization that TCSS has evolved; the way students learn has progressed and the classroom atmosphere has advanced to include student-centered learning, updated technology, rigorous and relevant curricula, and collaborative work spaces.

All of these elements spurred TCSS to begin Brand the District almost two years ago when they made a decision to shift its culture. After enlisting the assistance of the International Center for Leadership in Education, the project began to take form beginning with research.

Research

Stephen said several departments worked together to research surrounding districts. Then, they utilized information from the top 25 districts in the country. Electronic surveys were sent to employees and community members, and the district hosted focus groups that consisted of students, teachers, parents, business owners, and community members.

A sample of questions included:

• What does TCSS currently look like?

• What do we want TCSS to look like?

• What do we want for all students?

• What attributes do we want our students to have once they graduate?

“We had a 36 percent return rate for surveys and about 350 focus group members. It was important that we heard from the community because we all have a vested interest in the educational and life success of our students,” Stephen stated. “For example, the top two words used to describe what we want graduates to be were ‘successful’ and ‘independent’. We were able to incorporate those words, and more, into our new vision.”

The new TCSS vision statement is TCSS will provide educational opportunities that inspire learners to be independent, successful, and happy. The mission statement, goals, and beliefs remain the same.

Logo Design

Next, TCSS high school students were tapped to concept logo and other visual element designs. Two initial designs were chosen and the district began working with Perceptions Communications in Birmingham, Alabama to bring the concepts to life.

“The feedback from the focus groups was that our new logo needed to be simple, colorful, and reflect where we are going as a school system; therefore, the logo consists of three main elements – the mark, the signature, and the tagline. It represents unity through the circular diagram, diversity through the use of bold colors, forward progress through the use of linear elements, success through the tagline and innovation through the combination of all elements,” Stephen noted.

Students and staff also proposed tagline recommendations. Three were submitted for the final survey and the student tagline of Your Future Starts Today was chosen. It is now displayed directly under the logo.

Brand the District is being introduced in advance of the 2018-2019 school year so TCSS schools and administrative offices will have adequate lead time to update their material and/or order new materials reflecting the new brand. TCSS will use the new design simultaneously as the older version of materials and supplies are being replaced. Troup County residents will begin seeing the new brand incorporated into online and print materials beginning July 1, 2018. A complete webpage; to include logo, branding guidelines, photos, and videos, is being created to house all district branding materials so items needed can be shared and printed on an as-needed basis.