How a Female Naturalist Rebranded Her Small-Town Preschool
Written by Melissa McGlenn
Jennifer was a teacher at the Powell Butte Community Preschool when an opportunity to purchase the school came up. She loved the children, as well as the community, so she decided to go for it and acquired the business of running a preschool. I love sharing stories like this one, where courageous women step boldly into their dreams!
She reached out to me, looking for help transforming the look and feel of the school’s marketing.
As a female web developer and graphic designer, I tapped into her problem right away. The preschool needed a marketing makeover to compliment the new ownership – that meant a shiny new website, logo, and branding!
Let’s explore the creative process I used in branding her small-town preschool. Enjoy this backstage pass to see how I assisted Jennifer with recreating the preschool’s identity and online presence. Through graphic design, engaging copy, and a fun, friendly web layout, I completely renovated the preschool’s website and made it brand new.
Getting Started with Rebranding
Up first, we brainstormed ideas of how to blend two different worlds to form a clear and concise logo design and branding message for the preschool’s website. We explored Jennifer’s dreams for the preschool and the longstanding history of the preschool’s interdependence with the local community.
My mission was to design a creative representation of Jennifer’s modern, earthy, naturalist style in a way that would be interesting and relevant to the audience of a quaint country town made up of farmers and family-oriented residents.
My approach to website design and brand integration relies on creativity and intuition.
I work to understand you, your story, personality, vision, and motive for the website along with the unique message you’d like to convey to your target audience.
Throughout the creative process, I often find inspiration for my clients’ projects by working with them in one-on-one sessions that allow us to connect more in-depth and go through the process step-by-step.
For me, it’s all about trust – with my creativity and intuition, I guide my clients to help them find their voice and establish their purpose to deliver amazing results.
One of my secret superpowers is Pinterest. I often send my clients to various Pinterest pages so they can pin images and text that spark their interest and connect to their vision for the website.
I empowered Jennifer to use this resource as a creative guide for her to choose different images based on her desired theme of the website. A simple (and easy to use) resource like Pinterest allows my clients the freedom to express their vision through a series of pins. This creates a fun outlet for them and a connective tool for me to make their vision a reality.
My process involves harnessing imagination and creative flow to consistently generate ideas for my clients. A simple element in nature or an unexpected encounter throughout my day will often spark inspiration. These random yet exciting moments often bring a project to new heights with innovative insight and unique features. These moments have been extremely effective for me as a professional artist who guides others through the creative process. My clients listen in awe when I share the ideas I’ve discovered about how I can apply my unconventional ideas to their projects.
Community Focused Branding
Jennifer wanted the preschool’s website to reflect the new ownership and the face of this fresh branding initiative.
Her new website became an invitation for the parents and guardians to learn about the school, its mission, programs, and overall purpose within the community. It was designed to communicate and connect with the preschool’s community and captivate the audience in a way that they’d feel ‘a part of’ the preschool’s environment.
The website design I created embodies Jennifer’s intention to share the preschool’s backstory and change in leadership with insightful and interesting details. Most importantly, Jennifer wanted to build a connection with the community and provide the safe space children needed.
Branding is about taking the time to define what your brand stands for, core values, and tone of voice. Then use these qualities to communicate consistently with your customers.
Every aspect of the website, from colors, pictures, fonts, logo, and layout, the design I created represent the alchemy of Jennifer’s vision and my artistic creativity.
The website’s copy matches the design beautifully. Through carefully crafted words, I was able to convey Jennifer’s philosophy about child education, learning, play, and exploration.
Working with Jennifer was a lovely and co-creative experience. I saw what the website’s design needed to shine. Jennifer communicated her needs, expectations, and desires in our one-on-one sessions, and I could lay the path to the results she wanted.
By the time we launched the website, Jennifer’s excitement and pride grew and her hope for the preschool’s mission was brightened through the influential, creative process we shared.
Project Deliverables
Brand & Logo Design
Content Writing & Brand Promise Development
Website Design & Development
Website Search Engine Optimization
Business Cards
Online Tuition Payment Portal Setup
Ongoing Coaching & Collaboration
Ongoing Website Maintenance
Powell Butte Community Preschool
Jennifer Wilcox
An early childhood program that sparks and develops the highest potential in the smallest amongst us, honoring and nurturing the human spirit in each child within our vibrant community.
Learn more about the preschool by visiting the website.