Everybody likes to feel like they belong to something. Like finding their tribe. It gives them a feeling of protection and a sense of contributing to a greater good.
Schools are very much like a tribe for their students. The student wants to feel proud to be a part of their particular school.
That is what branding is all about. It isn’t always about recognition and sales, it is also about reputation and identity.
Building a brand for your high school will empower learning in general, but especially lessons about being part of a community.
In this article, I will go over tee
Using swag
High school shirts are the most obvious way of getting your branding out and accessible to everybody. It is like a student waving a flag to show the tribe they belong to making them feel proud to display it.
There are so many ways to design the perfect shirt or other swag to inspire the students. It can have a mascot on it, the school’s slogan or even change periodically with public service type messages that encourage a sense of community.
Something like an anti-cyberbullying message to remind kids that they all belong to the same group and need to care for each other are all effective branding ideas that can be used on a shirt.
Tell the school story
One way to help build a brand around the school is to find an interesting point in the school’s history. It could be who the school was named after, or some historical figures who were students there in the past.
Maybe the school was rebuilt after a natural disaster that can be a story of rebuilding and community.
Telling the school’s story will reinforce the ideals of what the school stands for through the brand.
Create a theme for the school year
Every year should have a theme associated with it that creates a sense of belonging. This can be anything from rallying around the school’s athletics to how to be a leader. Events can be planned around the theme with a corresponding logo and slogan. Keep the slogan and idea around the theme consistent so it does become part of the overall brand.
It’s a good idea for the brand to help the students reach for something big and inspire them.
Include the community
When the winning design, logo or slogan is settled on, make sure everybody within the school and in the greater area in the whole community are aware of it. Send out a press release, or an email blast to the community leaders and businesses.
Make sure the message is clear and that the brand identity is easy to understand.
The students will have fun showing off their pride in the school when everybody around understands what the school is trying to achieve through their branding efforts.