The Project

St Gabriel’s CofE Academy is an inclusive state-funded Primary school that opened in September 2018.

The school is a partnership between Coventry DBE and Urban&Civic, and is in Houlton, a new housing development in the Midlands.

St Gabriel’s aim is to deliver high-quality education to the local community, and provide “an inspirational, aspirational and holistic education where all children and staff develop and achieve to their full potential.”

The Brief

As a new school, attracting prospective students and establishing a community presence was key.

To achieve this, the branding had to appeal to the local community, represent the school’s aspirational and professional image, and provide a welcoming experience around the site.

The Solution

Following an extensive consultation period with the school, we recommended branded exterior signage, site wayfinding and internal wall graphics as the ideal solution.

Externally a wall-mounted sign tray under the main entrance canopy provided the perfect first impression for prospective parents and children.
This was combined with wall and post mounted modular signs, placed in key areas around the site, to provide directions and helpful information.

The internal solutions included door signs, flat cut lettering and over 10 innovative wall graphics designed to create stimulating, inspiring spaces for children and staff.

A creative wall graphic in the main reception area features a thoughtful decorative tree design. The leaves of the tree are finished with a dry wipe material, allowing names to be added for each child within the school.

The Result

The school achieved a successful intake in the first year of its opening.

With consistent external and internal branding across the school, we created a sense of uniformity, warmth, creativity, and high standard of professionalism that appealed to the local community.
The new branding was installed in just three days over the school holidays, ready for the new school term.

To discover more about signage or how environmental branding can increase community awareness, speak to one of our Graphic Arts Group experts today.

Why branding is important for schools

Branding is as important for schools as it is for business. From school colours, uniform and building signage, it’s how a school is identified and recognised in its community.

Apart from the obvious benefits of greater exposure and increased admissions, branding helps to develop the uniqueness of the school offering. When done correctly this professional image helps reflect the values of a school to the community, forging prosperous relationships with parents in the area.

Branding is a useful tool to express the school is serious about delivering standards of excellence. Distinctive and consistent school branding can help reflect a new level of professionalism especially for new schools without a highly developed and long-standing reputation.

Choosing a supplier for your school branding project

When choosing a supplier for Education signage or branding, you’ll want a partner that has a proven track record of technical ability, quality and professionalism.
Our robust list of industry accreditations shows this credibility, including: Acclaim, ConstructionOnline, ISOQAR, SSIP and ESPO.

With Graphic Arts Group you can trust you’ll be in a safe pair of hands, with our extensive experience in the industry, value for money, flexibility, responsiveness, use of safe working practices and commitment to environmentally friendly practices.

To discover more about how school branding, external signage and promotional materials can help establish a school as a community leader, speak to one of our Graphic Arts Group experts today.

Read More