Just wrapped up a logo project for a private elementary school and man, education logo design is its own world. figured id share some observations and see if others have similar experiences
things i learned designing for schools:
- committees. so many committees. the logo had to get approved by the principal, the board, the PTA, AND the “brand committee” (3 parents who took a marketing course). version 47 was the one that got approved
- they ALL want a shield or crest initially. every single education client. took me 3 presentations to convince them that a modern wordmark would age better than a fake-heraldic shield
- the color restriction is real. blue and green dominate education branding because parents associate them with trust and growth. tried proposing orange and purple and got shut down so fast lol
- readability at small sizes matters more than any other industry. these logos go on everything from letterheads to tiny name tags to embroidered polo shirts
things that work well for school and education logo design:
- custom lettering > generic fonts. schools want to feel unique
- negative space tricks. a book that doubles as a door, a pencil that forms a tree, etc
- templates are fine for starting but always need heavy customization
anyone else do education branding? what design templates or approaches worked for you?