Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Bold.
Branding for SoWashCo Schools
Unity and student voice—South Washington County Schools believed their existing branding wasn’t highlighting these important values. The suburban district of almost 20,000 students encompasses 24 schools, just outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro.
CEL partnered with South Washington County Schools to refresh their branding and messaging. The district wanted memorable, meaningful and equitable—which started with students. Their feedback led to a full rebrand as SoWashCo Schools; aligning the district language with that of students.
![GA_2022_Logo national school public relations association golden achievement award 2022](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GA_2022_Logo.jpg)
![SoWashCo-Mockups5 be seen be heard be bold](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups5-scaled.jpg)
"We love our brand. Your branding work with us and the process for gathering information made sense. People across the board felt heard – from staff to students to board members. Your process was a really nice way to engage and deliver to education. Everything about how we want our kids to learn, your team did an excellent job with us"
~Julie Nielsen, SUPERINTENDENT
![o1gzts7cvpm8nzweol7n julie nielsen superintendent sowashco schools](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/o1gzts7cvpm8nzweol7n-100x100.webp)
The redesigned brand logo is a simple wordmark that presents SoWashCo schools as modern, fun and friendly. CEL designers incorporated some of the colors used within the 24 unique school logos, ensuring that every school meshed well with the overall district logo.
![SoWashCo-Mockups-Logo sowashco schools logos](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups-Logo.gif)
![SoWashCo-Mockups ID badge example sowashco schools](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups-scaled.jpg)
The colors and patterns represent values that are important to SoWashCo Schools: accessibility, relatability, collaboration: unity. The circular design represented in the logo pattern is carried through posters, website design, badges, district stationery templates, etc. This cohesive design ensures a strong brand and a strong story.
![SoWashCo-Mockups3 sowashco letterhead](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups3-scaled.jpg)
![SoWashCo-Mockups2 sowashco business cards](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups2-scaled.jpg)
Students reported that the mission statement “igniting a passion for lifelong learning” no longer resonated with modern students. The CEL team developed a tagline to be incorporated across the district: Be seen. Be heard. Be bold.
The tagline and rebranding unify the district as a student-centered organization and update the brand to represent the future of education where student voice is heard, valued and incorporated.
Together the branding and messaging showcase SoWashCo Schools as a district that puts students first.
![SoWashCo-Mockups4 folder mockup for SoWashCo Schools brand](https://www.celpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/SoWashCo-Mockups4-scaled.jpg)