Road Map Strategic Plan

After 18 months of meetings, discussions, focus groups and research, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart arrived at a new strategic plan, perfectly planned for the eve of its centennial. Based on marketing work we utilized the School's brand as the basis for the positioning of the strategic plan. We arrived at three positioning concepts (innovation, opportunity and leadership) that differentiated the School from other educational institutions. The seven strategic initiatives are grounded in the School's unique interpretation of these concepts. The advertising and communications plans for the School fell out of this strategic plan.

Think Future Strategic Plan

Upon the arrival of a new Head of School in 2001 Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart embarked upon ambitious planning for its future. In desperate need of monies for infrastructure and endowment the School sought to launch a capital campaign that would address both of these areas. Over two years the School developed a master plan that included plans for expansion and renovation as well as it created strategic initiatives that addressed program, faculty and marketing. The "Think Future Strategic Plan" provided the rationale for a long-awaited capital campaign—the first for the school in 30 years. The advertising and communications plans for the School fell out of this strategic plan.

Admissions Viewbook

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart came to us to jumpstart its admissions prospects. We saw a need for rebranding and a renewed marketing effort. A concerted strategy was put into place to support consistent messaging, style and positioning of the School's story. With different recruitment issues facing the middle school and the high school it was essential to create two separate viewbooks but have a common brochure to show their shared mission. Awarded a national gold medal from CASE, this admissions viewbook was designed to get attention. Strong graphical elements such as letterpress text, stylized fonts, bold colors and die cuts, coupled with detailed content that addressed program and affordability strategically sold this unique brand of all girls' Catholic education.

Admissions Flipbook

In creating a new viewbook the all-girls' Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart wanted to establish its brand and bring real-world examples to its tagline, "Giving Girls Their Voice." Designed with Forest Ridge students and alumnae at the center this admissions "flip book" showcased individuality and passion as cultivated by a tradition of small classes, invested faculty and a unique mission.

The "flip book" told individual stories for each academic division while emphasizing the continuity of the School's 5-12 program and shared mission. Educating readers on the Sacred Heart brand was further accomplished through the prominent placement of the School's philosophy and network affiliations. All this delivered in a large see-through envelope that garnered instant attention and increased prospects.

Centennial Logo

A centennial year is a big milestone for any institution. It was no different for Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls' school in Bellevue, Washington. In its 100-year journey, marked by many changes, the School's one constant has been its educational commitment to "Giving Girls Their Voice" (also the School's tagline). The centennial committee wanted a logo that was grounded in the School's brand and embodied its tagline.

The centennial logo symbolized the impact of women's voice on the greater world. With the School's roots dating back to the French Revolution, the logo font is a nod to the past and a wink to the future blending both old and new. The logo was used on all materials associated with the centenary year and implemented in both black and white and the School's colors of green and blue.

Global Magazine

As part of its branding objectives Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart needed to be more deliberate in communicating its global edge. The Sacred Heart Network of schools encompasses 157 schools, 6 continents and 31 countries. United by their common mission, values and traditions the network provides exchanges, classroom collaboration and travel opportunities for students, faculty and alumnae. This access to a larger world is a unique part of the Forest Ridge brand and we felt it was important to replay this message through a variety of forums.

The school magazine is a highly visible communications vehicle, reaching nearly 4,500 constituents, and also serves as a recruitment tool for admissions. The "How Important is a Global Education in the 21st Century" issue was dedicated to showing how this network enhances the overall experiences of those in the Forest Ridge community. The issue also included a detailed directory of sacred heart schools.

Historical Folder

As the only 5-12 all-girls' school in the region Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart was in a strong position to capitalize on its longevity. The School's centennial provided a logical opportunity for doing this. In preparation for its 100-year celebration we created a stationary folder that served as part of the admission materials as well as general folders for the school. Our creativity with valuable real estate paid off. The School community used the folders for everything from visitors and meetings to marketing efforts and conferences. The folder proved so popular that a reprint was required. The folder featured a graphical timeline, a stunning photo of the Seattle skyline from the School's campus and a redesigned school logo and colors. The historical folder was a branding effort disguised as a pretty package!

Banners, Buses and Bucks, Oh My!

This branding effort for Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart brought together key philosophical tenets and marketing strategies. The concept for the branding campaign came from the School's tagline, "Giving Girls Their Voice." We focused on the three areas that best illustrated the School's strengths—innovation, opportunity and leadership. Engaging photos of young women were used to "put a face" on each of these strengths. The branding concept was then translated into marketing efforts that included the creation of campus and neighborhood lamp banners, bus signage, admissions materials, advertising spots and even an annual fund solicitation campaign. The campaign achieved geographical reach, raised visibility in the community and provided a dynamic segue way into the centennial year.

School Logo Redesign

In desperate need of a redesign, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart's logo was suffering from the do-it-yourself font frenzy of the early 1980s. Heavy, dark, and difficult to read the logo did not reflect the youthful personality of this 21st century girls' school. The crudeness of the circle, angular treetops and stark cross lacked femininity and sophistication.

The imagery of the new logo is based on the larger Sacred Heart network logo with its loose, feminine, stylized open heart. We made the logo personal with a flock of fir trees, an obvious symbol of the School's physical location on Somerset Hill. The long school name was broken up with different font sizes yet held together with a classic serif font. A founding date was added to educate the public on the School's longevity. And finally, the logo colors were modified from a heavy forest green to two lighter, complementary colors—sage green and slate blue—providing more design flexibility.

Magazine Makeover

With new leadership at the helm Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart needed a makeover of their largest printed communication vehicle—the Mes Amis magazine. First, we reformatted the size from an 8 ½ x 11 to 8 ½ x 11 ¾, which gave the magazine more substance and a greater presence. The cover felt dated in its black-and-white format so we moved to a four-color cover with color duotones inside. We encouraged the use of full bleed cover shots and bold magazine style headlines. We kept the original masthead but created a new branding tagline (a magazine that celebrates Sacred Heart tradition). In order to feature more in-depth articles we increased page count by 12 pages and redesigned the inside of the magazine to have clear columns that were supported by a table of contents. Strategic planning and branding initiatives drove the magazine's editorial storyboard. Each issue had a cover and feature story that supported one of these initiatives.

Boundless Success Logo

Designing a young woman that could epitomize a wide range of ages was a challenge in the creation of a capital campaign logo for Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. Playing on the School's tagline, "Giving Girls Their Voice," the campaign committee was searching for the right image to convey this unparalleled effort. Quickly settling in on the idea of a female logo, the debate ensued over the length and style of hair, the body shape, and the outfit the young woman should wear. The many discussions paid off and the school ended up with an energetic campaign logo that embodied the spirit of the campaign. The "running girl" as she became known around campus helped to reach the $13 million capital campaign goal.

Footprints Annual Report

After 92 years Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart experienced a major shift in school leadership—the appointment of its first lay (non-religious) head of school. A bit unsettling to some in the community we took this opportunity to show support for the change. The annual report was designed around a major community event—a one-of-a-kind forum that featured nine of the former Forest Ridge heads of schools, ranging from the 1950s to today. We played with the concept of leaving footprints, both graphically and editorially, to mark the many achievements of these great women leaders and the impact of their leadership. The donor lists were peppered with the women's personal stories of the challenges and successes they experienced during their Forest Ridge tenure.

Website

As part of a larger branding effort Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart redesigned their School website. Using its new School logo and new colors we created a softer, more feminine look for the all-girls' school and made the decision to exploit valuable real estate on the landing page with big, bold photos. The traditional categories and information were easily accessible but we added some areas that were unique to Forest Ridge and reinforced branding priorities. The School's branding strengths of innovation, opportunity and leadership weave intentionally through the following sections: 1) voices, 2) firsts and 3) experience sacred heart education. The website, always a tension between different constituents, met with large approval and continues to evolve today!

Wine Labels

As part of their centennial festivities Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart worked with a local vintner in bottling three different wines for their community. We designed wine labels that depicted three memorable Sacred Heart traditions. The Convent Classico, a tribute to the nuns, was a huge hit! The school couldn't keep enough of this bottle in stock. The wines were unveiled at the first ever Harvest Crush, a wine and food tasting event that also featured local farmers' produce, live music and a woman winemaker. The wines were also sold at various events throughout the centennial year.

Magazine Illustrations

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart wanted to make the most of its newly designed four-color cover magazine. Working with a talented illustrator we commissioned artwork, such as shown here, that was bold, vivid and energetic, with just a touch of whimsy. The flag illustrated an issue focused on the School's efforts surrounding 9-11, which included a Teach-In for Ethics and Peace. The female figure with raised hands illustrates a formative piece of the high school curriculum, called Senior Seminar, which challenges students' ideas of ethics, economics, power, justice and poverty. This graphical style became a trademark of the magazine in depicting abstract concepts.

Student Cover Art

Schools educate many talented students but the opportunity for the perfect magazine cover is still few and far between. An unassuming Lakeside student took the school by storm with her colorful, fanciful illustrations, a nod to great artists such as Jacob Lawrence and William Johnson. This in-process commercial success just had to be captured in a feature story. Her images were too captivating to not use on our cover and fully took advantage of the full-color format.

Capital Campaign Brochure

When an institution has not had a capital campaign in over 30 years there is a lot to be said. The upside is that you are not dealing with donor fatigue but the downside is that you are working with a community that is largely unschooled in raising money and being asked for it. This is the place Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart found itself in 2002. Having undergone a three-year feasibility study the School had established an ambitious $13 million dollar capital campaign goal. The marketing materials for the campaign needed to be flawlessly compelling.

The campaign brochure text and graphics focused on the opportunities that present themselves once you begin to transform student spaces. Sidebars featured intimate details of the project with supportive quotes from community members. Also of particular importance was the editorial treatment of the "heart of the school"—a new community chapel and gathering center. The brochure was called "inspirational" by constituents and was a recipient of a national CASE bronze award. The campaign was successful and the campus was transformed by the addition of two new buildings and substantial landscaping.

Centennial Cookbook

As part of its centennial celebration Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart wanted a signature commemorative piece. A cookbook proved too costly to produce with an outside vendor so we brought it in-house and created our original spin on an old-fashioned concept. The cookbook not only featured recipes from the Forest Ridge community but also a graphical timeline, tradition highlights and archival photos. We titled the book "Serving Up Leadership for 100 Years" and employed that concept as a way of organizing the project. The cookbook was divided into five food chapters. Each chapter was prefaced with an alumna profile. The women alumnae were selected across the various decades for their demonstrated leadership roles. We chose the School's unique network affiliations to bookend the cookbook with eye-catching illustrations and text. The cookbook also served as inspiration for the Harvest Crush, a wildly popular food and wine centennial event.

Goals and Criteria Magazine

The Goals and Criteria are central to the mission and accreditation of Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. They also serve as an educational roadmap for the School. The Goals and Criteria were established in 1913, formally drafted in 1970 and revised in 2005. The communication of these important revisions became a priority for the Forest Ridge Board of Trustees and head of school.

The school magazine, distributed to over 4,500 people, was an ideal place to announce the change. The magazine provided in-depth space for the explanation of the lengthy goals and illustrated how the School is living out these goals. The issue, "What we believe, what we teach, what we live," was used as a successful marketing tool as well as in-house educational resource. The magazine was a concrete visual that successfully addressed an abstract idea.

Centennial Magazine

Titled "100 year of Giving Girls Their Voice," the centennial magazine for Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart drew its editorial inspiration from ten decades of outstanding women graduates. In their own voices (literally) alumnae and faculty shared their school memories, which gave a greater editorial diversity to the magazine. An illustrated historical timeline graced the pages and a "leading ladies" series was created to depict the numerous stories of inspirational women throughout the 100 years. The hefty 80-page magazine was hailed as one of the most comprehensive (and entertaining) publications to capture the voices and factual accounts of the School's 100-year history—all in one place.

Annual Fund Solicitation

Asking for money in a school's centennial year is effortless. With a strong branding campaign in place and new buildings to showcase, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart was in a strong position to reach out to its constituents for the Annual Fund appeal. It only made sense for us to play off of the same materials used in the School's larger branding campaign. We developed the annual fund piece with the same headline and graphics but wrote a specific ask using the centennial as an anchor. Well received by the community a second solicitation, of equal creative weight, was created as a follow-up ask.