Villa Duchesne Visual Identity
Villa Duchesne, a private co-ed school in St. Louis, MO, was originally two distinct institutions—Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School. When the two schools merged, they sought a new visual identity that would unify them, honor their individual legacies, and reflect their forward-looking vision.
In evolving their logo and visual identity, my goal was to blend warmth and joy with a sense of academic rigor. Retaining their legacy maroon and navy colors was essential, as was incorporating elements from the National Sacred Heart Schools logo to reflect their shared heritage and values.
Client: Villa Duchesne School
Creative Director: Rod Lemaire, Mission Minded
Strategist/Writer: Stephanie Swain, Mission Minded
Honoring legacies while looking towards the future
The new logo and visual identity honors the legacies of both schools by using their original pantones and bridging them together through bright and bold connecting shades. The colors are further united by the swooping Sacred Heart symbol. The logotype uses a bold font to firmly step into the future of this united school.
A Transformational Education
The new logo and visual identity was the product of a robust brand strategy put together by our strategist team. The brand strategy was centered upon the idea of a “transformational education” grounded in values of joy, wisdom, commitment, and engagement. The idea of transformation inspired the color transformation in the logo and the overall graphic style for this school.
Typography, Color, and Photography Style
The typography direction for this visual identity merges a bold vision for the future with the tradition and legacy that the school was founded upon through marrying bold, all-caps Raleway and soft serifed Merriweather. The colors also extend from that legacy but are brighted and lighted to feel more warm and joyful – brand values of the school. Lastly the photography focuses on showcasing authentic connections between students and has a light and joyful quality to it.
Business Card, Letterhead, and Email Signature
The new visual identity was put to practical, everyday use with a collateral suite of materials.
Admissions Booklet
The Admissions Booklet is used as a marketing tool for the new school. It provides a broad overview of the school’s beliefs and values. It’s main goal is to create a connection with the reader and convey the experience of attending Villa Duchesne. It’s developed to be printed as well as shared digitally.
Website
We designed a strategic and comprehensive website for Villa Duchesne. The site was developed by FinalSite.
Athletics Branding
As part of Villa’s new visual identity, we created an athletics logo and design system that conveyed strength and energy while maintaining a clear connection to the core Villa brand.
