St Andrew's Cathedral School

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New brand seeks to capture who we are

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According to our Senior Designer Rachel Heriot, every school has a brand whether they realise it or not. In this interview, Rachel speaks about the impact of a brand on a school community and shares what she hopes St Andrew’s Cathedral School’s newly launched branding will achieve.  

How would you describe your role here at St Andrew’s Cathedral School?  

My role is to provide creative direction to the visual elements of the School. It is less about pretty pictures and more about applying design thinking and consistency in style to every project that lands on my desk. It’s a huge privilege!  

What is a brand and why do we need one?  

A brand is an expression of the organisation it comes from. We need a brand because it unifies us and creates a sense of ownership within our community. It also builds recognition for those outside our community. I guess it communicates what we look like, how we sound, how we feel and who we are, as a school.  

Tell us a bit about our new brand. What can people expect?  

We wanted to capture the surprise, delight, awe and wonder which our staff described to us as they spoke about what they do. You know the ‘lightbulb moment’ when a child says ‘oh, I get it but also the hard bits of learning – the grit and determination and shaping of character. I hope that when our community looks at the brand it feels like home and reflects exactly who we are and what we do. And, I hope when a new audience views us for the first time, they feel like they want to be a part of the special stuff that goes on in our school in the heart of the city. 

What do you think a school loses when it doesn’t have a brand?   

Ah! I think the question is, what does a school gain when a brand is executed thoughtfully? Because all schools have a brand. All you need is a name, a crest or logo of some kind, and in most cases a uniform! However, a more developed brand can give greater expression to the tapestry of life within a school. We wanted to say “St Andrew’s Cathedral School” proudly and with authenticity, and to do that effectively we needed to really think it through and work out how this would play out visually.  

The new tagline is ‘life giving learning’. What do you think it captures about our school?  

It captures everything we do and what we believe in. It is a promise that we will walk side by side with our students and share in their journey. Learning is continuous and at St Andrew’s Cathedral School we hope to inspire a life long journey of learning.  

The St Andrew’s Cathedral School brand exists thanks to the collective efforts of a team of creatives – Director of Strategy and Marketing Jackie Isenegger, strategist James DeVries, writer Michele Smart, and Senior Designer Rachel Heriot, as well as the wider school community who generously contributed feedback and input.