Hyde Park Montessori

Hyde Park Montessori is a private preschool located in Central Austin. Founded in 1983, the school is rich with years of Montessori education and culture. The scope of this project was to build a modern brand identity that was true to the history of the campus.

In my conversations with the director, she spoke fondly of her family’s legacy in the school. Aspects of Hyde Park’s visual representation needed to be updated, but she wanted to retain the history of the building in branding. These conversations, along with staff input, guided the project towards a formal voice and minimalist identity.

Throughout the project I incorporated sentimental touches where appropriate. The primary color in the palette almost exactly matches the rich blue of the iconic fence that wraps around the campus. Photo slides from the 1980s were digitized to be used on welcome information collateral. Phrasing that the original director was known for using was woven into copy across the project.

The largest part of this project was a complete website overhaul. Both administration and enrolled families preferred more direct lines of communication and would not use the website for much beyond access to a calendar. So, the focus of the website became the needs of prospective families.

The community reaction to the new visual style and communication was overwhelmingly positive. Families like the more modern look, and staff felt like the school was properly represented digitally.

As an unintended bonus, we simplified internal communication channels for current families. With a better understanding of what their children were doing and learning, parents began to form deeper bonds with each other and the school. Not only was this good for yearly retention, but it also resulted in an increase in prospective families who learned about the school through word of mouth.

Hats worn: Creative direction, copywriting, conceptualization, production.