To develop a new name and design new branding for Brighton Girls - an independent school founded in the nineteenth century.
Brighton and Hove High School (BHHS) is an independent school for girls aged 3 to 18. The school is 150 years old and an early member of the GDST (Girls’ Day School Trust), the prestigious group of 25 schools across the country.
The school, although highly regarded and held in deep affection by those ‘in the know’, was suffering from a lack of awareness. This was due to being established across two distinctive locations within the city, coupled with the additional challenge that one location was simply known as the ‘Prep School’, and the other as both ‘Brighton High’ or ‘The Sixth’.
Competing with strong independent and state schools nearby, it was agreed to create a stronger sense of unity and brand cohesion. The school approached Wild Dog to design and create the new ‘Brighton Girls’ identity.
Wild Dog Design have been an absolute pleasure to partner with on our rebrand journey to Brighton Girls. We have been so impressed by both their approach and the results that they delivered in providing us with a clear new identity and brand guidelines. They quickly understood the challenge we faced, and using their amazing creativity skills and expertise delivered a solution that stood out from the crowd. Our new contemporary logo is the perfect amalgamation between respecting our past but also showcasing our exciting future ahead.Jenny Spires, Marketing Director Brighton Girls
Meanwhile, research into the school showed that 100% of parents would recommend the school to others as a first choice. This gave us the opportunity to reposition BHHS from its current status as ‘hidden gem’ to a proud, confident, future-facing school in the heart of the UK’s most vibrant city.
Insight:
GDST had recently launched a re-brand of its own, supported by a nationwide advertising campaign, providing some powerful rationale for the benefits of an independent, girls-only education.
Our approach:
As part of our design analysis, we needed to consider the existing logo, which included the founding date, a Latin motto, a ‘Lamp of Learning icon, along with the accompanying terms ‘Prep’, ‘High’, ‘Sixth’. Incorporating the GDST branding was mandatory, and needed to be woven into the ID of the new brand, complementing the wider network, whilst giving Brighton Girls its own identity.
It became apparent that the staff, pupils ad parents were not wedded to the current logo. The lamp itself had only recently been reinstated, and whilst the religious sentiment of the motto was not widely cited internally, there was a respect and affection for the sentiment behind the lamp itself.
Although the founding year gave the school heritage, it did not stand out in the face of prestigious local competition, and seemed irrelevant to pupils and parents who possibly preferred more contemporary schools nearby. We used this as an opportunity to deconstruct the elements and reinterpret them in a more contemporary and iconic manner; one which would be instantly recognisable and closely associated with the school’s progressive approach to serving the local audience, many of whom work in the creative and digital sector.
The lamp was dropped, but its flames lived on in the curve of the bottom half of a latter ‘B’, with three strands of flame representing the three stages of the school. ‘Brighton & Hove High School’ was shortened to the more memorable and confident ‘Brighton Girls’. A new, streamlined, capitalised font complemented the new GDST branding. Meanwhile, full corporate guidelines covered both typography, colourways and digital and print design applications were created.
