Even though the Montessori School of Fort Worth is one of the oldest and most respected schools in Dallas-Fort Worth, their visual identity has always been an afterthought. To address this incongruity, the schools owner approached me with the goal of creating a fresh new look for the school that separates them from the ever-growing private school marketplace within DFW.

Like all of my branding projects, I began this one by conducting extensive research into my client and their marketplace. I started by going over my standard questionnaire & brand essence quiz with the client, but it wasn’t until I actually went to the school and sat-in on a class that I was able to truly identify the essence of the Montessori teaching philosophy.

I discovered, at its root, the Montessori School of Fort Worth primarily educates through hands-on activities that engage students. I found this haptic approach to educating fascinating and appreciated that their lessons often take place outdoors, especially when students are learning about the natural world.

Based on this research, I concluded that the new brand should consist of elements that convey haptic learning as well as nature. The final logo achieves a fine balance between these two elements and has provided the client with the foundation of a timeless brand.

The client absolutely loves their new look and there is evidence that the new brand is resonating locally. The client has started to grab market share from competing private schools and their student application rate has markedly increased since the launch of the brand. The owners are now considering expanding their campus to accommodate a new high school.