A Brand Identity Guide for Edina Public Schools

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The Edina Public Schools (EPS) system is committed to

developing communication strategies that help our audiences

experience what it means to be part of our great community.

In today’s high-energy, dynamic marketplace, it can be

challenging for an organization to be seen, heard and

remembered. Organizing communications around a formal

brand identity helps deliver the Edina Schools experience

consistently and effectively.

Brands are an experience, and ours is about how people think,

feel, and respond when they hear the words “Edina Public

Schools.” We hope that those words communicate a school

system that actively engages all community members in

world-class education, personally enabling learners to flourish

in our global society.

This guide is for EPS administrators and staff who create

communications in print or digital form. The standards

embody both consistency as well as flexibility. Adherence

to these standards ensures that our brand is communicated

effectively to our audiences: students, parents, teachers,

community members, voters and with our peer institutions

both nationally and globally.

We are all ambassadors of Edina Public Schools and we each

have an opportunity to reinforce the quality of our brand

every day. One of the best ways we can do this is by following

the standards presented in this guide.

Ric Dressen Superintendent, Edina Public Schools

The importance of brand identity and this guide

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The importance of brand identity and this guide . . . . . . . . . 2Table of contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Building blocks for the brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What does “defining excellence” mean? . . . . . . . . . . 4Brand architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Benefit ladder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Tone of the EPS brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Writing style guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Nomenclature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Build messages based on three key words . . . . . . . . . 9

Engaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Personal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Look of the brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Style standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PMS Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Logo Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Typography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Visual images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Table of contents

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“Defining Excellence” is the guiding principle of the Edina Public School system. The principle of excellence, together with the mission statement and guiding values, provide the building blocks, or architecture, of the Edina Public School system’s brand.

Edina Public Schools has the legacy of being an excellent school system, with great support from the community and involvement of families, outstanding test scores and students who are motivated by their education to touch the world beyond the classroom in meaningful ways.

“Excellence” does not just mean winning or being number one. We use the term excellence to refer to such things as the quality of education provided in the school district, the quality of learning outcomes, the breadth of academic and extracurricular offerings, the excellent preparation of our teachers, the excellence of effort put forth and the excellence in relationships between and among students, teachers, parents and the community. Excellent education also implies life-long learning and involvement.

“Defining excellence” means that we are not resting on past accomplishments, but that we are continuously raising the bar for ourselves – for our teachers, our students, our parents and our community – to work together to positively affect our world.

Because all media emanating from the Edina Public Schools system focus on the excellence of education, we must communicate with excellence as well. That is, our words should be crisp, clear and full of meaning. Our photographic images should be sharply focused, have high emotional

Building blocks for the brandThe mission of the Edina Public Schools system, working in partnership with the family and the community, is to educate all individuals to be responsible, life-long learners who posses the skills, knowledge, creativity, self-worth and ethical values necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, global society.

What does “Defining Excellence” mean?

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impact and tell a story. As communicators of Edina Public School’s brand, we must bring the best of our skills to bear when we communicate for the District.

The pyramid on the next page is an illustration of why we are doing what we are doing. It is our essence as an educational community and it guides our decision-making. Our goal as communicators is to transform data and information into knowledge, understanding and ultimately, an aspirational invitation for all to participate. The pyramid symbolizes and communicates all this.

While we are a publicly-funded educational institution, we are also like every other corporate organization. We serve customers. Our communications have an audience. Our customers and our audiences make decisions based on emotion and justify those decisions with rational logic. Therefore, it is imperative for all of us to understand the emotions and aspirations that motivate our customers and audiences. This benefit ladder is a tool to visualize this process and to help all of us keep this important principle in mind.

Brand Architecture Pyramid

Edina Public Schools Benefit Ladder

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Brand Architecture

Signature Lit, Mini Lit, Bulletin Board Lit

To be among the premier educational systems in America, partnering with families to reach nationally and teach personally, all within

an environment of high expectations.

What is the bigger picture that inspires our future vision that we are inviting our audience to join with us in creating?

We are creating a community of life-long learners deeply engaged in understanding and evolving our

diverse, global society.

VISIon

InVITATIon

What is our preferred future that takes shape as our mission is accomplished?

The mission of the Edina Public Schools system, working in partnership with the family and the

community, is to educate all individuals to be responsible, lifelong learners who possess the

skills, knowledge, creativity, self-worth and ethical values necessary to thrive in a rapidly

changing, culturally diverse, global society.

MISSIonWhat is done, for whom and to what benefit so our vision is fulfilled?

Our “Goals” document.

VAluES Service and Leadership.

STrATEGIES

What guides our actions on the journey toward our vision?

Create positive environments; Value personal connections;

Generate collaborative solutions; Place learners first; Ensure continuous

improvement; Encourage creative innovation.

rESulTS

How will we accomplish our mission?

How are we measuring our success or failure?

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The writing style for the brand is AP or APA style, with correct grammatical style used in every communication, regardless of the medium. Quirky punctuation (e.g., the use of “&” for “and”), colloquial and slang phrases and other idiosyncratic stylized usages are not consistent with the brand identity.

Excellence in writing style refers to clear writing with correct grammar and punctuation. The writing of each sentence should be clear and its meaning should not be ambiguous to readers. The point or purpose of each article or publication should also be clear. If the readers are intended to be stirred to action, all of the information as to how to respond should be easily found in the article. Excellence in writing style also means that the information provided in the article is correct. All facts should be checked and double checked. In addition to proofing by the author, an independent party should also proofread all articles that are released from the District.

While the writing style is professional, the content should not be stilted. The words and stories chosen should evoke emotion, richness and inspiration, while communicating simply and clearly.

•Writesimplyandclearly.•Usethedirectvoice.•Usewordsthatcomplementyourchoiceofphotography

or images. •Formatcorrectly.Singlespacebetweensentencestoavoid

uneven copy. •Keeptheuseofacronymstoaminimum.Ifitisessentialto

use an acronym because the article references it many times, write it out in the first reference and follow with the acronym in parentheses. The acronym can then be used alone in the rest of the article.

•Donotuseallcapitallettersexceptforacronyms,asit diminishes readability and can be construed as visual shouting.

Tone of the EPS brand

Writing style guidance

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•Spellcheckandproofread.Doitseveraltimes.Don’trelyonthe computer to catch all errors.

•Factcheck.Makesureyourdataareaccurateandcurrent.•Confirmthatyourcontactinformationisaccuratebycalling

the phone numbers and typing in the Web addresses. •MaintainconsistentmessaginginallEPSmediaby

coordinating print publications with information that is published on the Web.

•Usetheinclusivevoiceof“we,”“us,”and“our.”

•Forfirstreference,use“EdinaPublicSchools(EPS)” or “Edina Public School system (EPS).”

•Subsequentreferencescanbeto“Edinaschoolsystem,”“EPS,” “the EPS system” or “the District.”

• “District”withacapital“D”referstotheschoolsystem’s administrative structure; “district” with a lower case “d” refers to the geographic area served by the Edina Public School system.

•ReferencestoindividualEdinaschoolsshouldbewrittenout in full for the first mention followed by the school’s acronym, if any (e.g., Edina High School (EHS), Highlands Elementary School). In subsequent mentions, the either the acronym (e.g. EHS) or the first name of the school (e.g. Highlands) may be used as a stand-alone reference.

Building on the tagline of “defining excellence” and the mission statement, three words emerge to guide our verbal, written and visual communications consistent with our brand identity. When we write in a way that evokes these three words, we will be describing an education that is excellent. Those three words are:

•Engaged•Global•Personal

nomenclature

Build messages based on three key words

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To determine whether or not a message is consistent with the brand image, ask these questions:

•Doesitconveysomethingaboutengagement–engagedlearners, engagement with parents or engagement with the community?

•Doesitdescribesomethingthatisglobal?•Doesitconveythepersonalaspectofeducation?

Because we will be using the words “engaged, global and personal” as a screening test to determine whether our messages are consistent with our brand identity of excellence, it is important to define what we mean when we use those terms. It would be rare for an article to meet all three criteria, but every article must pass the screen of “is it excellent in terms of the quality of writing?”

Engaged is a word we use to describe learners who are fasci-nated by either the process of learning or the content of what they are learning. Engaged can also be used to describe taking learning beyond the classroom to apply it to real world set-tings, including collaboration with others in the community.

Example articles with the engaged theme include:

•Studentsusingtheirmathskillstodeterminethecost/benefit of using a wind turbine to generate a portion of the electricity for the school

•Thehighschoolgroupthatpresentedaplanforrecyclinginthe Edina Public Schools to the School Board

•Howanewteachingapproachiscoaxingreluctantreadersto become more involved in books

Global is a word we use to describe the diversity of our student body, the study of languages other than English, the study of English as a second language, the study of other countries and their cultures and extracurricular trips to experience other countries or cultures. Global also reflects that we see ourselves in a global context, striving to influence the

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world for good.

Examples of articles featuring a global theme include:

•StudentsinaSpanishclassgoingonafieldtriptoEl Mercado Central on Lake Street for lunch and interaction with Spanish-speaking vendors

•ParentingandtutoringprogramsforadultEnglish Language Learners at the apartment complexes on Parklawn Ave.sponsoredbytheDistrict’sFamilyCenter

•Cultureweekatanelementaryschoolfeaturingstudents’relatives visiting the classroom to share customs and foods of countries around the world

Personal conveys the way in which we reach our students in the classroom, with attention to each individual. The breadth of our offerings, both within the classroom setting and through extra-curricular activities, maximizes the opportunities for students to customize their educational journey within the school system. Personal also refers to a teaching style that goes beyond classroom lectures to help each student achieve learning goals.

Examples of articles featuring the personal aspect of education include:

•Mentorshiplearningopportunitiesforhighschoolstudents• Inclusionofdevelopmentallydisabledstudentsasmembers

of the cast or crew in high school musicals•Communityvolunteerswhoenhancetheclassroomofferings

by providing additional individual attention to students•Studentswhoexpandtheirunderstandingofclassroom

concepts into the larger world•Experientialmethodsofteaching

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overview: A consistent graphic identity is essential to establishing a strong and familiar brand presence with our key constituencies. While standards leave room for creativity, it is very important that we all adhere to these guidelines to visually define EPS in a strong, consistent manner.

logo: The EPS logo contains three shades of green. The “Edina Green” is PMS 357. If necessary for production, an alternative is PMS 347.

The Pantone Matching Systems (PMS) colors are

Edina and Crown Public Green Schools Green Dark Green PMS 357 PMS 556 PMS 347

rGB colors are

Edina and Crown Public Green Schools Green Dark Green R = 0 R = 107 R = 0 G = 88 G = 179 G = 157 B = 38 B = 149 B = 72

The web colors are

Edina and Crown Public Green Schools Green Dark Green 006225 72A392 00A160

Style standards

look of the brand

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The CYMK colors are

Edina and Crown Public Green Schools Green Dark Green C = 100 C = 60 C = 90 M = 0 M = 10 M = 0 Y = 100 Y = 50 Y = 100 K=60 K=0 K=10

The black values for one color use are

Edina and Crown Public Green Schools Green Dark Green K=100 K=35 K=65

The words “defining excellence” are a part of the logo. Previous research has indicated that EPS owns the brand “excellence.”

Example of reversed logo

Complementary colors to the main colors

C = 100 C = 75 C = 0 C = 0 C = 0 M = 55 M = 100 M = 100 M = 60 M = 0 Y = 0 Y = 0 Y = 90 Y = 100 Y = 100 K=0 K=0 K=0 K=0 K=0

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uses of the logo

•Typeface,colororsizerelationshipofthelogoshould remain unchanged.

•Arrangementofthewordsinthelogoshouldnotbe re-sized, altered or changed.

•Therelationshipbetweenthe“crown”andthewordsshouldnot be altered.

•Theshapeofthelogoshouldnotbealteredorchanged by tilting.

•Allwordsshouldalwaysbeusedinthelogo.•Additionalvisualcomponentsshouldnotbeaddedto

the logo.•Additionaldropshadowsshouldnotbeadded.•Embossing,bevelsortexturizingshouldnotbeused.•Anyuseofoutlinesisunacceptable.•Useoflow-resolutionversionsofthelogoshouldnot

be used.•Colorsofthecrownorwordsinthelogocannot

be changed.•Usingtints,screeningbackorusingatransparencyofthe

logo is not permitted.

logo Clear Area

The minimum clear area to be left around the logo is at least 0.175”. A larger clear area is preferred when possible.

Typography

We recommend the following typefaces for all school correspondence. Although not required, consistent use of these typefaces enhances the integrated family look across all materials. These fonts are effective compliments to each other while taking into consideration a wide range of communication needs.

Goudy Old Style and Goudy Regular

Are serif fonts that are not widely available in Mac and PC

0.175" 0.175"

0.175"

0.175"

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platforms, but work well for documents and other non-newsletter publications.

Garamond Is a highly readable serif font and excellent choice for longer blocks of copy. It is widely available for both Mac and PC platforms.

Arial Is a sans serif font that is more casual, available for both Mac and PC platforms.

letterhead

Please use the following specifications when creating standard 8.5" x 11" letterhead.

0.896" 2.157"

0.604"

0.667"

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Business Cards

Please use the following specifications when creating standard 3.5" x 2" business cards.

Because the Edina Public School system is responsible for educating students, photos of learners and the learning setting should be original photography taken within our schools, rather than from purchased stock photography. Photo waiver forms should be put on file at the beginning of the school year. The photographer should inquire of the teacher whether there are students within the classroom for whom permission to photograph has been denied. If so, care should be exercised to not take photographs of those students.

How does the brand character manifest in photographic images? Again, the three words – engaged, global, and personal – taken from our tagline and mission statement can guide our selection of photographic images. It would be rare for a photograph to meet all three criteria, but every image must pass the screen of “is it excellent in terms of the quality of photography?”

Excellence in photographic style and quality refers to crisp,

Visual images

0.175"

0.175"

1.94"

0.303"

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clear,focusedimagesthattellastory.Formaximum emotional and visual impact, close-in candid shots with engaged facial expressions of two or three individuals and tight shots showing physical action are preferred over posed photos of large groups. In online contexts, the photos should be 72 dpi, and those for print materials should be at least 300 dpi. Photos or other images derived from screen capture and photos with watermarks should not be used.

To determine whether or not a photograph is consistent with the brand image, ask these questions:

• Isitexcellentintermsofthetechnicalandcompositionalquality of image?

•Doesitdepictsomethingaboutengagement–engagedlearners, engagement with parents or engagement with the community?

•Doesitdepictsomethingthatisglobal?• Isthephotopersonal?Doesitdepictemotionexpressedby

one or two individuals?

Engaged is a word we use to describe learners who are fascinated by either the process or the content of what they are learning, the application of classroom learning in external settings and collaboration with others in the community.

Examples of photos with the engaged theme include:

•Thedelightofakindergartneroveranewdiscovery•Studentswiththemountainoffoodtheyhavecollectedfor

local food shelves •Anolderstudentmentoringayoungeroneinacontinuous

progress classroom•Asilver-hairedvolunteerreadingtoaraptstudentaudience•Afewsingingstudentsfromalargerchorus,eachwiththeir

eyes glued to their choral director

Global is a word we use to describe the diversity of our student body, the study of languages other than English, the

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study of English as a second language, the study of other countries and their cultures and extracurricular trips to experience other countries or cultures. Global also reflects that we see ourselves in a global context, striving to influence the world for good.

Examples of photos featuring a global theme include:

•StudentslearningaboutEgyptfromacommunityvolunteerof Egyptian descent

•TwostudentsnegotiatingwithavendoratElMercado Central as part of a Spanish language field trip

•NormandalestudentsandparentsinfrontoftheEiffelTower as part of a tour facilitated by the EPS Adult Continuing Education program

•Twoelementarystudentsworkingtogethertolocateanisland on the globe

Personal conveys the way in which we reach our students in the classroom, with attention to each individual. The breadth of our offerings, both within the classroom setting and through extra-curricular activities, maximizes the opportuni-ties for students to customize their educational journey within the school system. Personal also refers to a teaching style that goes beyond classroom lectures to help each student achieve learning goals.

Examples of photos depicting the personal aspect of education include:

•The“ah-hah!”momentofnewunderstandingontheface of a kindergartener

•Thestrainingfaceofastudenttrackrunnercrossingthe finish line

•Astudentplayingaduetwiththebandteacher•AmiddleschoolstudentexplaininghisorherHistoryDay

project to a competition judge

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Below are some examples of types of photos that are consistent and inconsistent with the EPS brand character.

Consistent with the brand

An example of personalized learning with a teacher and a student focused together on instruction.

A single music student, focused intently on the instructor, showing the emotion of practicing.

Two students, separately focused on work with eyes closed.

Image focused on instruments with one student hidden and another cropped out of frame.

not consistent with the brand

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Student in class looking directly into lens, conveying true emotion.

Image taken from behind, showing no emotion, and overexposed.

Highly emotive student, captured in a uniquely personal way.

A photo from far away, with many students on stage, none personally discernable.

Consistent with the brandContinued

not consistent with the brandContinued

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A senior with parent receiving congratulations upon his graduation.

Tight shot of students using technology to complete assignments.

An impersonal, monochromatic photograph of a sea of graduates, most with their back to the camera.

Shot from the back of the room of students sitting at rows of computers.

Consistent with the brandContinued

not consistent with the brandContinued

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An image of a bored, sleepy student from the side.

A poorly-lit, out-of-focus image of four students--only one of whom is recognizable.

not consistent with the brandContinued

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Consistent with our concern for the environment, we should always consider whether our message could be conveyed as well by sending it electronically rather than in printed form. Forthosedocumentsthataretobeprinted,ourstaffshouldactively seek recycled papers and other environmentally sound printing practices. All District documents that are printed (as opposed to photocopied) should bear the “Printed on recycled paper” logo on the back cover.

Sustainability

Edina Public Schools 5701 normandale road Edina, Mn 55424

© Edina Public Schools, September 2008

This Brand Identity Guide was prepared under the auspices of the Edina Public Schools’ Communications Council. Members of the Brand Identity Subcommittee who worked on this manual on a pro bono basis were: CarolJ.KaemmererofKaemmererGroup,LLC,chair;ChrisDeets ofDustinDeets,LLC;andNancyFergesen.

Jolene Goldade, EPS Communications Manager and student intern Jane Vollbrecht also served as members of the subcommittee.

The brand architecture constructs, graphic design and layout of this document were provided courtesy of the strategic marketing communications firm of Dustin Deets, LLC under the direction of Chris Deets.