New Roads School
When you peel away everything except your true reason for existence, what’s left can be powerful enough to unite an entire community.
New Roads School is fervently mission-driven. Their mission is so deeply embedded into the fabric of the school that it acts as a moral compass guiding any and all aspects of the school's decision-making process.
First things first, we clarified and established a set of ten principles to strategically steer the brand development. They eventually turned into Commitments and unlocked New Roads’ values-based branding.
One-size-fits-all fits no one.
New Roads’ visual language is plural in its essence and authentically-diverse. The school’s logotype is constructed out of 61 overlapping color strips coming together to create a proprietary bespoke typeface. Radical, impactful imagery leverages the same color strips to highlight academic, social-emotional, and philosophical matter dear to the New Roads community. The brand voice is pithy and unflinching to broadcast New Roads’ commitments in ways that are thought-provoking, unapologetic, and memorable.
Case Study
Overview
New Roads simultaneously competes with prestigious private and sought-after public schools.
New Roads School, a K-12 independent school in Santa Monica, simultaneously competes with prestigious name-brand private schools and sought-after public options in West LA’s robust education market.
New Roads’ unique legacy of addressing inequities by investing more than double what their competitors spend on financial aid ensures an authentically diverse community. Diversity is the great pride of New Roads School. There is a tangible commitment to diversity at every level. Every person we interviewed during our audit praised the school’s visible and internalized diversity.
The school is fervently mission-driven. The mission is so deeply embedded into the fabric of New Roads that it acts as a moral compass guiding any and all aspects of the school's decision-making process.
Challenge
New Roads struggled to satisfy mixed feelings about the state of educational programming.
Our collaboration with New Roads followed a turbulent period. A new Head of School stood ready to lead the community toward stability after years defined by leadership turnover, campus relocation, and a legal battle that put stress on resources.
New Roads also struggled to satisfy mixed feelings about the state of educational programming. Most felt the academics did not measure up to other independent schools. Many praised the critical, independent thinking of its young people. Some thought that a heavy handed redirection towards academic rigor would be contrarian with the school’s DNA rooted in progressive education.
Strategy
Brand narrative shits to compel mission-fit prospective families while reviving internal enthusiasm altogether.
Given a marketplace in which their many competitors made specious claims about diversity—plus a bland brand that lacked inspiration—we reimagined an evocative visual language that boldly asserts New Roads’ core purpose.
We recommended brand narrative shits to compel mission-fit prospective families while reviving internal enthusiasm altogether. We had to cautiously consider the school’s financial realities due to their emphasis on providing aid, especially in a sector rife with institutions of privilege pantomiming inclusivity to stay relevant.
Culturally and socially, we understood that New Roads’ dedication to social activism resonated deeply in 2019. We leveraged this culture of activism for our brand messaging. Additionally, diversity of voices (50% women on board; 40% faculty of color; LGBTQ+ representation on board/staff) gave our work both richness and authenticity.
Results
100%
Admissions events at 100% capacity for enrollment season following brand launch. Inquiries and enrollment up in elementary, middle and upper school divisions.
$$$
Fundraising efforts after brand launch brought biggest matching gift to date, exceeded annual fund goal year over year, and brought 2x fundraising results during Phone-a-thon and 3x during Matchober.
Top 5
2022 report of Westside’s independent schools desirability includes New Roads School in top 5. The new website sustained 250% higher traffic since launch and converted referral to direct visitors with bounce rate cut by 80%.
Grassroots organizing can galvanize collective action well beyond the realm of politics. It’s about rallying a diverse group of individuals around core values they can all agree upon.
Luthern Williams, Former Head of School
“I don’t believe any other agency could have better captured the vibe and spirit of our school. The depth of understanding Distinc_ developed in such a short period is truly impressive. They masterfully learned a massive amount of information about our school, then they did a brilliant job of articulating core concepts of New Roads accessibly while integrating the educational research foundation.”
Services
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An immersive study investigates quantitative data and qualitative evidence from a variety of stakeholder groups. This audit helps identify how far your organization has come as well as understand what may stand in the way of progress.
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Ideation workshops offer a variety of hands-on exercises tailored to your organization’s unique situation. The group experience is strategically designed to test readiness for change and to help envision how quickly your organization can pivot.
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A strategy for change is not always easy to deploy as it often challenges old habits. Brand evolution permeates throughout your entire organization and we work together as a team to cultivate opportunities as well as navigate challenges.
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A strategic brand positioning clearly declares what sets your organization apart vis-à-vis the audiences you target and the competitors you face. Building consensus helps build enthusiasm and trust in the future.
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Your brand identity is much more than the sum of a logo, a set of typefaces, and hex codes pleasing to the eye. It can be a living, breathing, flexible system that is both open enough to communicate across your varied audiences and focused enough to cultivate a united brand experience, full of intent.
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Every organization has a voice. And every brand voice has a purpose: to distill your collective personality and ethos into a coherent expression that is accessible across many audiences.
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Organizations deserve websites that strive to satisfy visitors’ needs and deliver a delightful experience—nailing both aspects yields superlative UX. Guided by accessibility and current best practices, we develop award-winning websites that balance simplicity and depth.
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Compelling brands can only go so far without a proper deployment plan to put them to market. We architect strategic communication roadmaps across social, digital, print, experiential that achieve measurable results.
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Brands are driven by people, and people are driven by principles. We coach individuals within your organization to speak their truths while simultaneously seeing themselves as brand advocates. This training builds up collective values unique to your brand, and empowers everyone to do their part in sustaining them.