West Michigan Academy of Arts & Academics
WMAAA is a small public charter school (free to attend, Kindergarten – 8th grade) in Spring Lake, Michigan. They pride themselves in creating a space for kids who benefit from alternative learning. Specifically, they integrate the arts with all other school aspects to help give kids a more rounded education. While their mission, vision, and community are strong, their branding left them feeling like a less polished version of their neighboring institutions.
Well worked closely with WMAAA faculty and staff to understand what it means to be a WMAAA student, parent, and employee. The result of this teamwork was an adaptable brand full of life and a team equipt with the resources and confidence to push that brand forward.
Icons in the Brand
Iconography is an integral part of the WMAAA brand and a way of supporting communication visually; in a way that can be understood by anyone who interacts with your brand. It helps with literacy and adds visual interest and consistency across materials. It also communicates information in a fun and digestible way! Each icon was carefully designed to best represent WMAAA and their curriculum.
A Modular Logo
Through the process, it became clear that the faculty at WMAAA cherish the level of freedom they have as teachers. Through a modular logo system, the idea of personalized teaching is visually expressed. Using a strong logo base, simple grid system, and iconography, we gave teachers the power to adopt the brand as they do their classroom. This added element encourages a cohesive visual style while retaining the personal focus of the school.
A Flexible School
WMAAA is built around the needs of students, from early elementary to 8th grade. Working with the faculty, we understood that these children grow greatly, and that one of our main brand challenges would be to create a brand that could identify with students across these developmental years.
So we created an evolving brand. One that feels primary, exciting, and joyful for little kids and can still retain it’s playful nature as they grow into their teens. This intentionality is most apparent in the Wildcat mascot design.
