BBG is thrilled to announce the new brand and digital experience for It Takes a Village Family of Schools. This has been a particularly interesting and complex project addressing the needs and requirements for educational institutions in the Covid-era and beyond.
An Interview with Art Director, and Design Lead Greer Mosher
Without research & strategy the project can go haywire and have no foundational ground to go back to as strength of reasoning as to why certain design moves were made and rationalized.
Greer Mosher, Design Lead
Upon learning about this client, project, and goals, what initially excited you?
Initial conversations with the team led us to create a system that empowered them to be organized and systematic in their understanding of how to deliver and speak about their family of brands all together, this was something that was missing from the get-go.
At first, the ITAV team was working across multiple domains and brands to evoke their business and it felt very tangental from one another. We collaborated together to push the team to bring everything into one space, one website that could allow users to visually understand their education pipeline and services they offer.
Working with the ITAV team opened up a lot of opportunities to create something special for them that could help drive conversions to not only their website but push their brand to a unique space that separates them from the rest of their competitors in the education & family services space.
What was the inspiration behind the Art Direction and Branding?
aaaWe always work through an iterative and exhaustive process of inspiration gathering, mood boarding and concepting that led us to the direction where we landed. Our moves were derived from a lot of social justice visual cues from past and present histories. Wanting to pair the strength and boldness of typography with the ITAV’s internal educational approach, it all felt very 1:1 for us.
Overall, we knew we wanted to clean up the visual system that was previously implemented and complement our designs with plenty of white space, organization, and a strong grid system that could lend itself to numerous layout possibilities.
What is your favorite creative detail from this project?
A little hidden gem on the 404 page allows the user to draw and create their own illustrations right on the website which feels fun and unexpected.
What was your favorite part about working on this project and how did you see it realized throughout the project and with launch?
aWe really established ourselves as collaborators alongside the ITAV team from the get-go. They really saw us as experts in our creative field and were always up for hearing new and sometimes unexpected concepts or ideas which always leads to new approaches along the way.
The team always stuck with us throughout the entire project and did a ton of the editorial heavy lifting up-front which led to a very smooth launch process. A huge kudos to them for being so organized!
If you had to explain your philosophy for execution to someone who knows nothing about this client prior, how would you explain your process?
A lot of initial grunt-work has to be done up-front to establish a successful brand. Without research & strategy the project can go haywire and have no foundational ground to go back to as strength of reasoning as to why certain design moves were made and rationalized.
We like to be hands on with all facets of the design process to establish a clear funnel of direction which will ultimately make the process feel streamlined and lead to a successful and unique direction in the end.
About It Takes a Village
It Takes A Village Family of Schools is rethinking the scope of education. Research in growth and development continues to emphasize the importance of skill building in early childhood. Experiences during infant and toddler years can shape an individual’s interest in learning for the rest of their lifetime. This is why our birth to eighth grade Learning Pathway is so important.
Founded by three women with a passion for education and their community, It Takes A Village Family of Schools was grown to nurture and instill confidence in our young leaders of tomorrow. Our mission is to uncover the gifts and talents of all students so that they can reach their fullest potential not only for themselves, but for the community and world we will share tomorrow.
Additional Education-Based Work from BBG
View additional education-based from Bright Bright Great. Cranbrook Academy of Art. University of Chicago, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Techsmart.
