Ludlow Independent Schools
Rallying academic pride with a refreshed brand strategy.
THE BACKSTORY
Outside of the small riverside town of Ludlow, the district was not well-known and grappled with old stereotypes of being a place for troubled children or those without the means for other education options. In fact, Ludlow School District meets high academic standards, has a robust athletics program, offers a large selection of extracurricular activities, and has many programs to benefit students including free college courses. In addition, the staff is tenured, passionate, and dedicated. Plus, the district enjoys small class sizes, which is appealing to families.
TMC was hired to help Ludlow School District showcase their qualities through cohesive branding and messaging. The district did not have a logo and was instead using five variations of a panther mascot and numerous paw prints in school communications. Although the District colors were red and black, there was no established color palette, so various shades of red were being used across departments.
The challenge.
Ludlow Independent School District wanted to elevate their brand and messaging to better tell their story as a leading district in Northern Kentucky. They lacked a consistent brand look, color palette and messaging – with schools and departments each adopting their own variations. As the Northern Kentucky area moves to open borders for school enrollment, professional branding was needed to support student retention and recruitment efforts.
The strategy.
- External and internal research
- Brand review
- Logo and mascot design
- Tagline and rally cry development
- Color palette and font family selection
- Brand messaging and guidelines
The results.
A logo that firmly roots the district in tradition with a nod to the future. The logo is symbolic of the district’s iconic brick buildings and ties to the new tagline.
Building Tomorrow: A tagline that speaks to the district’s purpose and promise to the community. As they embark on a multi-million dollar construction project, Ludlow Independent Schools are both literally and figuratively building for tomorrow – for students and the greater Ludlow community.
Together we prowl: A rally cry that is a call to action in classrooms, in the stadium, on the field and court, and anywhere else Ludlow Panthers gather to learn, play, or compete.
New panther mascot: A mascot that plays on the strengths of previous panther mascots. It’s ferocious yet appropriate for all grade levels, from preschool through grade 12.
Brand proof points to serve as the foundation for all messaging.
Brand guidelines to ensure all schools, departments and vendors present a unified look
