Pathfinders Academy is dispensing with tradition and doing education differently. Their focus is in guiding young minds on a path to resilience and self-reliance, cultivating students to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. We built a brand around the notion that school can, and should, be different.
Our Role:
Visual Identity • Brand Positioning & Strategy • Art Direction • Competitor Analysis • Tone & Voice • Copywriting • Web Design & Development • Environmental Design
A new way to learn.
Pathfinders Academy is all about shirking the traditional model and building up students to be leaders in their communities. We built a brand that did away with all of the typical trappings of higher education and private schooling. You know the kind; laurel, traditional typefaces, and an icon of a bell tower. Instead, we placed student empowerment at the center of it all, aiming to make every element of the Pathfinders Academy brand approachable and inspiring while communicating what makes this school, well…different.
The strategy that ties all of this together is that “Curious Learners Change the World,” a rallying call for Pathfinders Academy on which we could build the brand and give ourselves a waypoint to stress-test the visuals, art direction, and experiences.
A brand built for bright futures.
In conceptualizing what the brand could be, we aimed to encapsulate the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines the school's ethos. The mono-thickness line with organic curves reflects the school's commitment to simplicity and autonomy, while the vibrant gradient evokes the boundless potential of each student's journey.
Different for a reason.
Our visual language, from the color palette, type treatments, icons, and how they all interact together, are a divergence from many traditional educational institutions (just as Pathfinders classrooms are a divergence from the overcrowded, understaffed classrooms we’ve grown accustomed to). Every visual invokes a sense of whimsy without feeling unserious. It is purposefully balanced to convey a sense of exploration, freedom, and fun, while maintaining the strong backbone of an intentional curriculum for curious learners.
A warm welcome.
Much like the way that Pathfinders Academy educates its students, the digital experience is interactive and hands-on. The paths that draw themselves as you scroll are a guide through the site, providing an unexpected sense of delight. When it came to develop the website, everything was built around the idea of humanizing a digital space and translating the warm environment of Pathfinders Academy into an otherwise cold, and information-driven space.
