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Return to PageThe Alumni Affairs department at Berkeley Preparatory School (Tampa, FL) has slowly been refreshing its communications and events. From appeals and rebrands to magazines and more, we have worked on a full suite of projects that is much more engaging for alumni. There is too much to include, so this page hits the highlights.
When Berkeley moved their annual Alumni Reunion from the summer to Homecoming Weekend in the fall, they wanted a rebrand to go with it. The request was for an identity that blended Berkeley past and present and could connect with multiple generations.
With a Buccaneer mascot, we focused on a pirate-themed typeface, incorporating a single Buccaneer cutlass (taken from the existing athletic mark) and distressed it to give it the feeling of age.
We took the idea and literally blended old and current images, as if time itself was being crossed. Not only is it fascinating imagery, it also reinforces the idea that, as time and culture changes, certain elements of school last no matter the decade.
While the blended images were used in marketing efforts, event materials (such as invitations and signage) focused looked to balance the sepia color with Berkeley dark blue, again blending and balancing traditional and modern looks.
The Berkeley Open is one of Alumni Relations' biggest fundraisers; it is quite popular and often sells out early. With that in mind, they wanted to rebrand the golf tournament, as the old logo was pretty generic and outdated. They wanted something distinctly "Berkeley."
We reviewed several options with different tones, but in the end, one design was clearly what they wanted. The idea marries the old tournament logo with Berkeley's primary shield logo, but the mark also entirely stands on its own and has been used on on golf tees, green flags, polos, signage, marketing materials, and more.
The alumni event microsite was created to market events and drive registration. It also allows information—such as ticket sales, FAQs, sponsorships, and sponsor logos—to be quickly updated without having to send out print materials or emails. The site highlights three primary events—Alumni Reunion, Berkeley Open, and Inshore Invasion—but has room to add more events later.
The site focuses on movement and color to create a vibrant site that engages viewers and wants them to explore more.
We revamped the alumni Berkeley magazine to make it a bit more modern and colorful. Many academic magazines are quite text-heavy or can come across a bit scrap-booky, so this new look really focused on beautiful imagery, high color contrast, and clear hierarchy to make stories easier to browse and consume.
The biggest challenge here is that we cannot show any of the current students who receive support. In the first sample, we used quotes from letters from the students, focusing specifically on the word "opportunity." In the second, we had the fundraising chair of the Alumni Executive Committee—who had received financial support as a student—tell his story, using current and student photos. Both of these appeals produced strong returns. Berkeley boasts an AAG rate about triple the national average.
As we began to envision all that our alumni reunion could be, we knew we had to build a brand that would convey the message of uniting the alumni community from the first graduating class to the most recent. Not only was Tyler able to do that, he exceeded all expectations! Without having ever been to campus or personally knowing any members of our alumni family, he captured the essence of our alumni and our vision for the event perfectly. Having achieved this end result in the first attempt is just icing on the cake. Members of our school leadership have been beyond impressed.
Tyler took the time to really listen to what we wanted and because of it, we have a remarkable brand that will stand the test of time and evolve with the life of our institution.
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