The Common School

BRAND IDENTITY

The Common School

OVERVIEW

Kilter revitalized The Common School’s brand identity and website, emphasizing its progressive education approach and commitment to social justice and environmental awareness.

SERVICES

Branding
Logo Design
Copywriting
Web Design

Laptops showing Common School website and rebrand by Kilter

CONTEXT

The Common School—a progressive early childhood and elementary school dedicated to cultivating critical thinking and compassion—needed a brand refresh to better communicate its unique educational philosophy. The school’s existing identity and website didn’t fully capture the dynamic, engaging nature of its curriculum or its commitment to fostering social responsibility and environmental stewardship in students.

THE ASSIGNMENT

Develop a cohesive brand identity and redesign the website to effectively convey The Common School’s mission and educational approach.

Phones showing Common School website and rebrand by Kilter

OUR SOLUTION

Kilter created a comprehensive rebrand that captures the essence of The Common School’s transformative educational experience. We developed an ownable messaging platform that playfully riffed on different usages of the word common—such as "Build Common Understanding" and "Question Common Knowledge"—to highlight The Common School’s key differentiators. The logo's core motif of children holding hands was retained and refined, as it had become an important icon within the school community representing the school's welcoming spirit, celebration of unique differences, and commitment to diversity. We enhanced the logo by embedding a hidden heart shape, further emphasizing the nurturing environment and strong bonds formed at the school.

We expanded the color palette beyond the core purple, introducing a vibrant, flexible system that reflects the school’s dynamic approach to learning. The website was restructured to prioritize key information, creating an intuitive user experience that showcases the school’s unique curriculum and values. Through thoughtful design and messaging, the new brand identity effectively communicates The Common School’s commitment to fostering curious, compassionate, and socially conscious learners.

Laptop and phone showing Common School website and rebrand by Kilter

“We had a stellar experience working with Kilter. From start to finish, the team was responsive and accessible. Kilter expertly guided us through the creation of our new, beautiful and easy to navigate website which has generated wonderful feedback from our users. The Kilter team were incredibly generous with their time and were very easy to work with. We are delighted to have found them. I can’t possibly recommend Kilter enough.”

Dana Kadish
Co-Head of School, The Common School