Walnut Grove Christian School
Walnut Grove Christian School (WGCS), a private K-12 educational institution located just south of Charlotte in Fort Mill, SC, approached Ache Design to lead them through a comprehensive rebranding effort. The school sought to modernize its image, enhance its appeal to a wider audience, and align its brand identity with its core values and mission.
Role:
Branding, strategy, visual identity, communications
Year
2019
WGCS aimed to shed its traditional and somewhat outdated image in favor of a more modern and relevant identity that resonated with today's parents, students, and education trends. The school wanted to attract a more diverse and larger student population, necessitating a brand that would resonate with various cultural backgrounds and interests.
The rebranding was an opportunity to clarify and strengthen WGCS's core values, emphasizing its commitment to academic excellence, faith-based education, and community involvement. Ultimately, the school aimed to increase enrollment by showcasing its unique strengths and fostering a positive perception within the community.
A major aspect of the brand work was to establish four core values - four pillars - that would establish the foundation of the school’s brand. Ache Design collaborated with the school's leadership team to refine WGCS's mission, vision, and core values, ensuring alignment with the rebranding objectives.
Moving from a male knight, which could be exclusive, the icon became a shield with four parts, to represent the four pillars: schedule, relationships, faith, and academics.
Through a well-executed rebranding strategy, Ache Design successfully led Walnut Grove Christian School to transform its brand identity, broaden its appeal, and reinforce its core values. The school's modernized image, combined with a comprehensive communication plan and ongoing engagement efforts, resulted in increased enrollment by 40% and a positive impact on the school's reputation within the community. This case study illustrates the power of strategic rebranding in achieving organizational objectives and fostering growth.
The rebrand led to rapid growth and required WGCS to begin a capitol campaign for building expansion, which Ache Design led them through the communication strategy for a successful campaign.