Fayette County Public Schools: Branding

A dated logo and overused tagline, “It’s About Kids,” did not accurately reflect the strengths and achievements of the FCPS district. The brand value was also fragmented by self-designed logos of district departments, schools, and programs that often consisted of clip art or infringed on the copyright of popular brands.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Brand Platform Messaging Brand Strategy and Positioning Brand Identity Design Signage Design Digital and Print Collateral

Two yellow flyers with a photo of a boy in a green checkered shirt sitting at a desk, resting his chin on his hand. The text reads, Education beyond expectation. The flyers are on a blue background.

THE CHALLENGE

Strengthen FCPS for “A New Way Forward.”

Since 1967, FCPS has been on a mission to deliver the best possible educational experience for the children of Fayette County. Yet, enrollment is declining, competition is increasing, and public pressure is climbing. To reinforce the quality and success of FCPS, a new strategic plan titled “A New Way Forward” needed marketing support. Working with FCPS, Fieldtrip identified these key goals:

Part 1: Update and introduce the district brand to foster a unified FCPS community. (Completed in August 2023.)
Part 2: Create consistency and cohesion across the district by updating the brand of individual schools, programs, departments, and facilities. (In progress)
Part 3: Develop a marketing strategy to stabilize student retention in middle school and increase enrollment in critical areas. (In progress)

Two vertical banners for Fayette County Public Schools on a turquoise background. One features text and icons, the other shows a smiling girl with a laptop and the text “Shaping the leaders of tomorrow.”.

A white circle on an orange background features icons representing school: a backpack, green globe, apple, math symbols, pencil, basketball, blue people, and a school crest with books and a globe.

THE APPROACH

Inspire everyone to believe

The work begins with listening and learning. The people FCPS needs to convince aren’t at the table, so we look from the outside in before ideation begins. The discovery phase included brand audits, stakeholder interviews, audience surveys, competitive analysis, and category research. Implications from this effort resulted in a strategic insight that guided the creation of the branding, messaging, and marketing plan.

The existing tagline, “It’s About Kids,” had a high recall, but research proved it did not add value. Yet, a rebrand comes with a significant risk of attracting public criticism as an expense that takes dollars away from the educational mission.
Parents have education options, and the alternatives will continue to increase. Rather than focus on discrediting charter schools, homeschooling, or private school enrollment, FCPS wins by creating a brand position as strong as its potential. The key is to evoke all Fayette County families’ desire for their children to flourish and succeed.

FCPS employees have the power to drive the image and reputation of the district, positive or otherwise. Every external interaction with teachers and staff is part of FCPS communications and marketing. The success of a new brand relied on the ability to address that FCPS continues to be “about kids” but must get credit for fostering the growth and success of the whole student for today and whatever comes next.

THE BRAND

A welcoming brand represents the present and future potential of FCPS students

A strategic plan supports every strong brand. The strategy is what transforms a visual identity into a marketing asset. The new district brand identity is professional and playful, pairing a traditional academic logo with bright colors, simple icons, and crisp photography. The brand’s visual language represents the excitement within the school walls. Approaching the brand from a district level provides consistency in every application through messaging at the main entrances at the individual schools.

THE BRAND EXTENSION

Every impression matters

The old FCPS district brand was not connected to the 70 school brands. A collection of unprofessional or clip art logos at the school and department levels further eroded the value of the FCPS brand. Creative design had been a free-for-all, and some schools only had a photocopy of their logo. A plan was developed for rebranding individual schools and adding the new district brand to school facilities. School brand quality must be at the same level as the district to create brand excitement and loyalty. Schools were prioritized based on several criteria, with The Promise Academy at William Wells Brown being the first school to be rebranded. FCPS expressed a need for hand-drawn and original designs for the school brands.

A cartoon bulldog wearing a red collar stands above the white text Mary Todd Elementary on a solid red background.

THE RESULTS

Education beyond expectation

The brand’s recent launch was matched with excitement from stakeholders, the board of directors, and brand champions, ready to take charge in bringing the brand to life across the district. The brand work continues with rebranding individual schools and branding new construction.

A blue Fayette County Public Schools yard sign reads Education beyond expectation with icons of an apple, a lock, a basketball, and people, displayed on green grass in a sunny outdoor area.