When in doubt, revise logo

The Fort Wayne Community Schools has sent word that there will be a news conference at 2 PM Monday where there will be two announcements made.

One announcement is of new goals for the year ahead.  The second is the unveiling of a new logo.

That's right, a new logo.

When an organization - particularly a non-profit entity - changes their logo, many times it seems to be by  an organization is facing challenges .... and wants to be seen as doing something.  I have come to beware boards or executive directors who tout changing the logo as a major accomplishment.

There are times when a logo change is needed and welcomed.  This is usually part of a branding effort that is comprehensive, consistent throughout many platforms and ongoing.  Branding is an attempt to have the external message an organization conveys reflect the reality of the organization.  It is a marriage of the image and operations.  Think of the branding effort of the University of St. Francis as a very successful, positivel and accurate example.

Granted, FWCS is not a non-profit - it is a governmental entity.  As an educational institution, it is probably right and proper that it have a logo that ties together all the disparate functions across the school district.  Certainly, its current logo is dated and lacks the graphic strength a good logo should possess.

On the other hand, unless Fort Wayne Community Schools is also undertaking steps to truly rebrand, the new logo may be seen as appearance of change and not symbolizing the substance of change.

Comments

[Joe Taylor]

It will be interesting to see if the new logo is the creative result of a local company or if they went outside of Fort Wayne to get it. There are a lot of talented art students within the FWCS student body and I think it might have made for a great art project to solicit artistic ideas from their very own creative well.

Ed. note: See the later comment. The new logo is the product of the Asher Agency.

Asher was also the agency of record for the Yellow Ribbon campaign in behalf of the FWCS $500 million bond.

[brian stouder]

"When an organization - particularly a non-profit entity - changes their logo, many times it seems to be by an organization is facing challenges .... and wants to be seen as doing something."

Well, it will indeed be interesting to hear what FWCS has to say. My wife and I were 'signed' supporters of their genuinely sweeping reconstruction effort last year, and as the 'campaign' unfolded, it became very clear that the organization jumped into the deep end and then didn't know how to proceed.

Clearly, the legitimate issues around the physical condition and age of Fort Wayne Community Schools buildings represent a clear and present challenge, and one that the organization (AND all elements of the local Fort Wayne government!) mishandled last year.

I think Dr Wendy Robinson and her administration should be proud of their success in their core mission, as reflected by the recent upward movement in standardized test scores across FWCS; and my wife and I have been continually and positively impressed by our family's experience at the new Towles Montessori school (the old Ben Geyer) - which I believe is the only accredited Montessori school in a public school system in the country.

By way of saying, from our family's perspective, FWCS is succeeding and surpassing expectations every day, in their basic mission of educating our children....even as we see that they DO have very large system-wide challenges that MUST be addressed.

And assuming FWCS unveils a real, comprehensive plan for the next quarter century (and changes their logo in the process!), our genuine hope is that the government of Fort Wayne rallies to the cause.

[Anthony Juliano]

I’ll preface my comments with a disclaimer: my employer worked with FWCS on its new logo. I wasn’t involved in any of the work, so I don’t know how the logo change fits into a larger branding effort (if at all). I do, however, want to share a few thoughts on branding, logos, and FWCS.

I certainly agree with that a new logo is best created as part of a larger rebranding effort when an organization has the resources to do so. But it's not necessarily true that a brand is broken just because the logo could be improved. The brand is much, much larger than logo, and there are a lot of great brands out there with less-than-stellar logos. It's true that sometimes "when an organization…changes its logo,” it's because that organization is "facing challenges." But sometimes--and not infrequently, mind you--that organization just needs a new logo.

Now, it’s obviously true that FWCS is an organization that’s facing some challenges. And my sense is that FWCS is at a point in its history when it could benefit from a comprehensive branding effort, one that includes input from students, parents, teachers, administration, and marketing professionals (in that order, with the marketing professionals acting as advisory and everyone else sharing the authentic brand experience and what needs to change). But it also seems like any effort that FWCS makes to change its image is shot down as wasteful, wrongheaded, or insincere. Damned if you change the logo, damned if you don’t. And god forbid if FWCS should invest in a larger branding effort. After all, look what happened when it tried to invest in its facilities.

Mitch, as a leader in this community I think it’s irresponsible for you to take FWCS to task before asking whether the logo change is part of a more comprehensive effort (instead of just assuming that it is). I also think that you’d be better served to offer solutions to the true challenges FWCS faces instead if taking petty shots at the organization for changing its logo. It appears, though, that you’re more willing to stand on the sidelines and criticize instead of rolling up your sleeves and trying to be part of real change.

You’re right that a new logo, on its own, doesn’t change much. But neither do comments like the ones you’re making here.

Ed. note from Mitch Harper:

I think you owe an apology, Anthony. And, I don't mean that rhetorically.

There is nothing in the post which remotely warrants the petty shot you take in your last paragraphs.

First, you agree with me that branding is much larger than a logo. Then you agree with me that, as you described it, a "brand is much, much larger than [sic] logo."

This sentence, framed by the two lines that agree with me, is not related to any assertion made in the post: "But it's not necessarily true that a brand is broken just because the logo could be improved."

Then you just plain make leaps of illogic before engaging in an uninformed ad hominem attack.

I am already working in a collaborative way on intertwined fiscal issues between FWCS and the City of Fort Wayne. One are the effects of existing and proposed property tax caps that affect all local units of government in an interdependent way. Another is the the effect of tax abatements that affect the revenue - and in some cases very directly - the expenditures of school corporations.

These are issues affecting all four school corporations in Allen County for all now serve students inside the Fort Wayne city limits.

There are two other issues involving fiscal policy and another, personal one, involving a project to serve students, that I have worked on in just the past week.

Really, you need to read the paragraph and not just take a cursory glance and respond with an ill-considered comment. It coarsens the debate and that is not something that supporters of better education need or want.

[tim zank]

Anybody out there want to take a stab at how much FWCS paid someone to design the new logo? Even better, how about how much it's going to cost to replace the old logo on every piece of paper, equipment, book, door, etc.??

Just curious what the final tab is going to amount to.

[Kristina Frazier-Henry]

Hmmm...I was just thinking the other day that the logo has been around since - what Lester G. days? Regardless, as the resident marketing chick, I agree with your thoughts. Someone nudge me to let me know how this all shakes out.

[Anthony Juliano]

Mitch:

I’m glad we talked on the phone today (despite our phones cutting out), and I appreciate your willingness to end the conversation on a more positive note than what’s been established here. I look forward to continuing that conversation in the future.

Ed. note from Mitch Harper:

And your willingness, too. All hands are needed on deck to make Fort Wayne a better place. I want to be able to count you among the people I can rely on to serve as a sounding board.

[Joe Silva]

What this community needs from Wendy Robinson is accountabilty...how about a full financial audit which will explain their lackluster performance in a sea of millions wasted on questionable expenditures???

Ed. note: This comment has been edited to remove an additional rhetorical question.

[Phillip Marx]

I predict that their new logo will be a bullseye with a picture of Evert Mol at the center.

Ed. note:

How about being open to the possiblity that it could be a stylized design of a blue and yellow hands clasped together?

Not the illustration, but the reality such an illustration would represent, is what is really needed.

[Evert Mol]

Based on FWCS success in hitting the targets of NCLB and PL 221, being in their bullseye seems pretty safe. Since their test scores have not changed in 5 years, why not change something else. At least this board has set some objectives after five years of no targets and no reviews of the Superintendent's performance. Let's see if they quantify the objectives as they promised at the end of the last work session and hold the administration accountable for results.

[brian stouder]

"Based on FWCS success in hitting the targets of NCLB and PL 221, being in their bullseye seems pretty safe"

Well, I Googled "PL 221" and found

http://www.doe.state.in.us/pl221/

which states (in part)

"To measure progress, P.L. 221 places Indiana school corporations and schools into one of five categories based upon “improvement” and “performance” data from the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+)."

If one reviews FWCS results in ISTEP scoring -

http://www.fwcs.k12.in.us/PublicAffairs/release.php?postingid=3674

one will see (in part)

"ISTEP+ results for Fort Wayne Community Schools show improvement across the board with results increasing in two-thirds of the categories. Results in 11 out of 18 areas tested district wide in September went up while two more remained the same
as in 2006.

"This is wonderful news for our district and our community," Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson said. "Our staff has worked hard for years to make sure we are using the right curriculum and following the best methods to ensure that each of our students is learning. That dedication is now paying off in the form of more students passing ISTEP."

So, it looks to ME like FWCS is on target and on the move...

[Evert Mol]

If you'll look at the data for FWCS on the Indiana DOE website (instead of listening to the Superintendent) for the percentages of kids passing the tests in all grades in Language Arts and Math you'll find them to be exactly the same as they were four years ago. No progress whatsoever in four years.

[Jon Olinger]

It seems that FWO has truly scooped this story. I was shown the new logo about 2 weeks ago in the superintendent’s office. She asked me if I liked it and I thought it was ok. I’m not really inspired by the logo, but it's not the logo that should be inspiring anyway. I asked who did the work and was told an intern "just drew it up”. The board (or at least three of us that I have spoken to) did not know that Asher was involved or that the logo cost $15,000 to create until yesterday. I am told by the administration that the $15,000 was grant money that could not be spent in the class room, but I certainly hope we got more than that logo for $15,000. As for FWO...thanks for the accurate information.

[Bob Gaul]

Dr. Robinson's doing as good a job as possible, given she had to "undo" a lot of what Fowler-Finn did not even attempt to do during his (thankfully) brief tenure.

It's always easier to demolish or tear something down.
The real challenge is being able to rebuild even better than before.

And that doesn't happen at the snap of a finger, drop of a hat, or the unveiling of a new logo.
It takes perseverence, courage, and most of all...time.

B.G.

[Joe Silva]

As a former teacher, it's surprising the logo couldn't be developed by administrators. Or better yet; in the high schools and libraries I've seen high quality graphic design and art work by students. If it were couched as a competition for the best design -- it would serve to empower students and engender self-esteem.

Once again FWCS misses an opportunity to place the student first and wastes their resources. What a shame.

[Robert Enders]

$15,000 for a logo! I'd be willing to cook something up using MS Paint just for the bragging rights.