Led by superintendent Dr. Lucas Francois, Waterford Union High School sits 30 miles south of Milwaukee and 80 miles north of Chicago and is rated the top high school in Racine County according to Niche.com. Under Dr. Francois’ leadership, the school has seen bold and transformational changes over the past few years both in and out of the classroom.
One area that held Waterford Union back over the years was its inconsistent and outdated visual identity. Lacking school spirit and a recognizable brand identity that the community could rally behind was a concern for Waterford Union. Many people in the community confused the school’s logo and mascot with a skunk instead of a ferocious wolverine, which concerned the staff and teachers at the school. Wanting to address this problem and make a bold statement, Dr. Francois approached Rhodes Branding to give the Waterford Union visual identity the facelift it needed and deserved.
The first step in the process was to establish a diversified branding committee to help guide the process and provide input and feedback. With this group, the Rhodes Branding team dove into research about the school’s history and the significance behind its marks. This knowledge helped to inform the creative decisions we made in the refreshed identity.
Despite the focus group taking place via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Waterford branding committee was enthusiastic and engaged throughout the entire process, providing the Rhodes Branding team with their insights and feedback to navigate the process successfully.
The second step in the process was creating a customized evolution of the school’s storied W monogram and designing a new mascot logo that exuded dominance, tenacity, and power. To add depth to those marks, we also developed tertiary logos that further encapsulate the fierce determination that defines the district.
The result was the launch of a distinctive, officially licensed brand identity that their community is proud of. With the help of award-winning NSPRA member Kate Brown, the new visual identity was launched with great enthusiasm and engagement on all of the school’s official channels. Our team also developed a pop-up team shop website where the community could capitalize on the excitement of the new marks by purchasing apparel and merchandise.
We helped Waterford Union launch a new visual identity alongside engaging video and social media content. We also helped the school build an online team shop where they generated revenue from spirit wear featuring the new marks. We also helped Waterford establish a licensing program with the largest K-12 licensing group in the nation.
