College Brand Refresh

During the height of lockdown in 2020, College developments and improvements were well underway in the background. In August 2020, we engaged Melbournebased public relations firm, Truth Agency, to lead the brand refresh project. We were particularly delighted to work with Managing Director Michelle Coffey and PR Consultant Alex Eastmure, both of whom are Ave Alumnae.

What inspired the brand refresh?

Since Ave Maria College was established in 1963, the College has worked hard to foster a welcoming and nurturing environment for young women, guided by the Franciscan values of Truth, Love, Peace and Compassion. The heart of the College has always centered around building a strong sense of belonging and connectedness.

As our college branding has evolved over the years, we have always tried to maintain this sense of belonging in the look and feel of all communications, through the language used and our iconic ‘Ave Red’ shade. With this in mind, we wanted to refresh our branding to suit an increasingly contemporary climate, whilst still maintaining the well-established identity of the College.

What was this whole process like?

The brand refresh was a rewarding and collaborative experience that involved working closely with former and current students, parents, staff, Board members and Tanya Hutton, College Principal. Living out our values of Community and Growth working with the wider College community was a very proud moment, indeed. Part of this process involved reviewing all our current College communications and refreshing all necessary templates to ensure consistent messaging and visuals.

How does this brand refresh reflect the College’s identity?

The brand refresh aims to reflect the future strategy of the College and assert its position as a top performing Catholic secondary school in the area, educating young women who thrive – both professionally and personally. This is now evident across the brand, our visual identity and our new strapline – She Who Belongs. She Who Thrives. staying true to the spirit of our Franciscan faith, history and values.

How has this brand refresh been implemented through the College communications?

The brand refresh has been implemented throughout all facets of College communications, both internally and externally. In terms of daily use, all internal PowerPoints, documents and presentations along with external communications with parents and live streamed events have implemented the new branding, key messaging and style guidelines.

Community members may have also noticed our increased online presence, curated with fortnightly Alumnae profiles, student leadership profiles, weekly roundups and subject spotlights which with each post, we aim to ensure consistent branding and language. It is our aim to capture the essence of our College, to share with parents, students and the wider online community.

What can the community expect to see in the future as part of this refresh?

In 2022 we are excited to refresh the College website to ensure the best possible user experience for our parents and community members.

We look forward to growing our online presence, sharing the incredible stories of our student leaders, College Alumnae, whole school initiatives and celebrating success in our community. As an extension of our profiles shared on social media, we will also be launching a podcast interviewing inspiring members of our community, both past and present. Stay tuned on our social media platforms to hear from the “Voices from Vida Street”.