Book Launch - Society of Architectual Illustrators

Jon Willcocks has designed the first members book for the Society of Architectual Illustrators 'Drawing on Architecture.'

The launch gathering for the Society of Architectual Illustrators' Book is at the Anise Gallery in London, on Saturday 3rd May 2014 from 5pm to 8pm and 13th May.

A book giving examples of the best of British Architectural Illustration is long overdue and this publication by the Society of Architectural Illustration fills the gap perfectly.  Over 60 illustrators are represented here, each with two full colour pages of their work and with a short description of what marks out their style.  The illustrators are complemented by a short piece on the history of the SAI by Joseph Robson and an analysis of current trends in Illustration by Richard Rees.  A wide variety of styles and illustration types are included in the book,  from traditional illustration through to computer rendering, model making and photography.   

Lord Foster provides a preface and SAI Artist Patron Ben Johnson a foreword to the works.  Sumptuously printed as a hard cover edition, (28cm. x 28 cm.) and designed by SAI Fellow Jon Willcocks, the book is a showcase of how talented and varied the architectural illustration scene is in Britain.  It will be on sale from 14^th May at £25 a copy and will be available from the SAI and relevant architecture and art bookshops. 

You are invited to the Book Launch at the Anise Gallery on 13th May 2014 at 6.00.  Copies of the book will be available at the Gallery for the launch day only with a 20% discount.  

ANISE GALLERY 
We have reacently exhibited at the Anise Gallery in Shad Thames London. It was an exhibition of artwork from the Society of Architectural Illustrators. The gallery is in Shad Thames, a new development on the South bank - fun to explore with the Design Museum and new and nice buildings.

Jon Willcocks Associates Ltd: Norden Farm

Jon Willcocks Associates Ltd: Norden Farm nordenfarm.org

Norden Farm

From the 6th to 26th March Jon will be exploring a new venue to display his paintings at an exhibition called Three Expressions exhibition together with other artists, Patrick O'Callaghan and Linda Austin at Norden Farm. All welcome.

MONDAY 23RD JAN 2012 JWA PHOTOGRAPHY

We specialise in photography for schools. We try and capture the character of the school through photography. Here is a recent comment from a client, Ian Kellie at Sir Thomas Rich School.

"It was great to see you again, you are a joy to have in school. I spent a pleasant evening looking at the 1,500 photographs – as ever, some gems in there. So you have more than justified our reason for asking you to spend the day here, we shall have ample photographs from which to select. It wasn’t the best day for taking photographs, not much practical work in school and gloomy outside. However, there are plenty of interesting shots, in particular the individual student studies, you have captured some wonderful faces.

With all best wishes,
Ian"


From: Jon Willcocks [mailto:jon@jwaltd.com]
Sent: 05 January 2012 16:41
To: Ian Kellie
Subject: Re: Sir Thomas Rich's Information Book

ITS NOT WHAT YOU SAY IT'S THE WAY THEY SAY IT!

The media is not the message!

Only recently I attended a brilliant concert held at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. One of the most captivating pieces was Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 4, performed on early instruments. It would be wrong to suggest that any one instrument was more important than another because they all worked in harmony to be faithful to the musical score. Similarly we have an increasing number of ways to communicate the virtues of our schools and it would be too simplistic to say one is more important than another. But there are some new initiatives, which are beginning to seriously impact the conventional

methods of defining the school’s profile.

Probably the most traditional is still by personal recommendation. Someone who has had first hand experience of the strengths and weaknesses of a school is going to be able to give you informed advice.

There are also the published academic results; but a school that is driven by its place in the league tables will not suit every child.

Then there is the all important prospectus, which, if well designed, will give a balanced overview of the school’s life, culture and ambience.

But we now live in the 21^st century and all we need to know is available on line. Some would argue that prospectuses are obsolete and have now been replaced by the school’s website. Actually, I don’t think such people understand the need for breadth and depth in conveying the quality of a school, and the good prospectus has a vital part to play!

In recent years we have seen the colossal growth of social media sites.

Put simply, social media incorporates the online technology and methods through which people can communicate, give personal opinions, swap different perspectives and insights into issues they feel important enough to share.

A striking example of this was a whisky distillery in Scotland which has now dropped its website in favour of a permanent facebook entry.

Why would anyone want to do such a thing? Because in this age of social media it is the positive comments about their product posted on facebook which has persuaded the company to drop their website altogether. Their conclusion was that personal testimonials speak louder than contrived advertising copy.

Recently I attended an eye opening conference at the Microsoft headquarters in Victoria, London. The objective was to expose the importance of social media sites in marketing. I found this whole area had grown beyond my imagination in such a short time.

As a rule, independent schools tend to be suspicious of this phenomenon. But I don’t think it is time to put our heads in the sand. I notice that in the US there is already a social media site called Great Schools, designed to guide parents to find the right school for their child. It has been driven by parents’ opinions of schools rather than a school’s opinion of itself.

In England there are numerous social media sites (websites that allow you to create a personal profile about yourself then chat, discuss and share information with others.) Typical examples of social networking sites include MySpace, Twitter, Bebo and Facebook. Slowly these sites are becoming increasingly powerful in driving public opinion. Perhaps it is still early days for these sites to penetrate and change the existing reputation of schools but parent power is growing fast and conversations are no longer confined to the school gates!

It might be worth having links from your existing website to prime social networking sites. Furthermore Google search engines are now crawling through these sites to position your school in its search engines.

OK people will always discuss and share the virtues of your school , but if, as the players at the concert I attended at Kings, your school is motivated by excellence, then you have nothing to fear!

Media and marketing techniques will continue to change and evolve, but whatever yardstick is used when a school aspires to excellence, its quality will remain a constant.

Jon Willcocks

Managing Director JWALTD

WE ARE ALL OUT TO IMPRESS

A question that crops up more regularly today than it did in the past

"Have we got our strategy right?"

“Do we need to stand out from the crowd, it must mean we need a new strategy a new goal!”

Professor Marshall McLuhan used to say the “media was the message” it’s not what you say but the way you say it.- Are we on facebook. The Linkedin Blog have we got this on twitter, how is our IT profile, are we fully maximising the media?

I was at a Schools Marketing conference recently and a designer told me his strategy was to ditch what had been done before and advocate the new. His sales strategy was simply to promote a “new product”, complete with seductive packaging and a new logo. Packaging for him, in his opinion was the best way to increase his business strategy and hopefully the school’s profile.

What’s this all about, what’s going on?

It would seem to me there are a number of issues here that are getting out of balance. Only yesterday a newly appointed marketing lady said to me: “send me some of your work, but I’m only interested if it’s different”.

Why dose “different” make it any more successful in the market place?

We are in the middle, of a financial squeeze. Parents want the very best school for their children, and schools are trying hard to win their attention. They cannot afford to take risks with designer’s fantasies in this highly competitive climate.

Yet so many he marketing teams continue to persuade the head and the governors that “whiz” is the elusive panacea that will get the parents jamming the school’s phones.

But the brutal reality is that even though an application of ephemeral whiz can hide a poor school, it can be detrimental to the integrity of a good school.

More than ever, parents want clarity so that the task of comparing the merits of one school with another are simplified. A marketing strategy that promotes staged smiling children is most un-helpful in defining what takes place in the schools curriculum. Parents want to know what goes on both inside and outside the class room They want to know about the facilities, the ambiance, the location pastoral care the qualities that make a child’s life at that school special.

In essence, each school needs to deliver substance, the marketing material should be seen as the vehicle. The packaging is important, but the tail should not wag the dog! It is important to be IT savvy, but do ensure there is quality in the message. It is vital that in any production there is meaningful content, which constructively informs the inquisitive parent and student.

Only recently I saw a designer had persuaded his client to buy into some very expensive display cases that once opened, revealed a. small and diminutive prospectus inside. One needs to strike a balance between recognising a good creative idea, and one that looks too keen to capture your attention, I dread to think what the school is being charged for postage! Schools are exciting places where the culture of teaching and learning creates sunning images use them! If only the pizazz has been generated by the core business of the School, rather than the wrapping, that would be impressive!

Smile Please

“Say cheese!”

Here we are in a severe recession and parents need to make informed decisions about the most appropriate school for their children. Yet too frequently Independent School prospectuses and web sites resort almost exclusively, to images of smiling children! Yes it is important that children enjoy the process of learning, but “cheesy snaps” are not going to convey those distinct ingredients that make each school special.

In fact to reveal the true benefits of a school takes time and a well thought out strategy. Images that reflect the character and spirit of a school will involve careful planning and research. Furthermore, there is a rare skill in being able to understand the real benefits of a particular school. Is it highly academic, does it major on extra curriculum activities, is it highly artistic or musical, dose in maximise on its unique location, near water mountains or centres in a major city? The process of accurately reflecting the life and spirit of a school is more complex than it first appears! Nonetheless this is very important if we are going to give parents and future children the ability to exercise choice.

Pretty pictures are one thing, but even more demanding is how do you effectively communicate the very qualities that make one school different (or even better) from the next. It’s all too easy to confuse school photography with wedding photography, spreads, festooned with smiling attractive children. In fact many photographers commissioned to handle schools are in fact wedding photographers. But this photographic culture can have a limited scope and even demeaning effect in communicating the real advantages of a particular school.
 All too frequently parents and staff are getting short changed because schools’ marketing material looking superficial and identical to promotional material of competitive schools.
The question, which needs to be addressed, is “how can prospective parents make informed choices for the most suitable school for their children, when the marketing material is identical to other schools?”

The answer is simple – “with difficulty!”

In this time of a financial challenge, parents, more than ever need to be able to make informed choices. The importance of clear information to avoid confusion when selecting a school for their children.
There are a few basic questions that when addressed, will help schools to shape and create effective marketing material. Why are we producing a new prospectus or web site? Who is it for, and who are we aiming at? Who are we competing against? What makes our school distinctive? Do we implement a different culture to other schools that appeals to a particular group? The benefits of a school designed for single sex education, compared with co-education. Consideration should be given to the school’s environment as well as its demographics, which both have a bearing on the choice between boarding and day. Can a creative use of photography enable the school to convey these benefits?

For a school marketing initiative to be effective, parents need to be able to have an insight that reveals the school’s individual character.  Each school must aim to convey why it is different; the quality, the breadth, the unique benefits, the ethos. Inspired photography and clean design can play a pivotal role in enabling parents and their children to make more enlightened decisions about a school. Aim for high quality, no gimmicks, no tricks. Saying “cheese” will not convey the right message! Transparency and clear thinking are the essential ingredients for an effective marketing strategy.

Getting your strategy right will put a smile on your face!

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

Vive la difference!!!

I recently attended the BSA Head’s Conference where a provocative, but thought provoking Kevin Roberts CEO of Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi said he found school marketing consistently boring and uninspiring. He went on to say as we were facing a serious financial crisis what steps were schools taking to succeed in the downturn?

Similarly at an AMDIS Marketing conference last year I spoke to two heads that complained that all prospectuses looked the same, (I resisted saying that they are the people responsible for approving them!) Many are beginning to question their whole approach to schools marketing. This is a wake up call! For too long it has been possible to swap the name on the cover of one school’s prospectus and exchange it for another. The real problem is that you probably would not have spotted the difference! These solutions are driven by unthinking suppliers with a “that’ll do” policy. Sadly, this is no joke, but a fact!

There are a number of excellent creative companies, but still too many, that are happy to churn out cost cutting, bland, conveyor belt, design solutions for schools. They will send in a photographer for a couple of days to get a few standard classroom and sports shots. It is not surprising it is difficult to distinguish one school from another. The strategy is well rehearsed; a shiny navy blue cover with the mandatory crest, the serif titling and a picture of children outside the main building. Inside the theme continues each spread is festooned with static shots of smiling children all taken from two meters away! One prep school prospectus I saw recently had three, patronising pictures of the head in it but hardly any of its staff! This approach will do the school no favours.

The other extreme are companies who subject the schools to irrelevant graphic solutions that are different, but for totally the wrong reasons. For example, a very good school in Surrey was pursuaded to adopt ‘EasyJet’ orange in the name of difference. I’m relieved to say they’ve given up on that wild excursion now and have reinstated navy blue! Then more recently, I came across a marketing package for a school, all built around the DVD packaging, where the designers had hidden the prospectus inside the DVD cover, it took me four days to find it, ridiculous!! The “design” should not be the captivating feature of the prospectus, but the “school.” Years ago someone at the Royal College of Art said to me “Good design never gets noticed.” Put another way the design is subservient to its task of effective communication, not a self-indulgent whim. It is only by familiarisation of the life and spirit of a school that an informed design can take shape. Informed design solutions can help parents/pupils make informed decisions about the appropriateness of one school as opposed to another.

Schools are unique. They are all very different from each other. They serve different markets and aim at different clientele. A child will find one school will be more appropriate to his/her needs than another. Prospectus design difference needs to be driven by the school’s ethos, spirit and character, not by bland or esoteric design solutions. The prospectus will be different if it is an honest portrayal.




Front cover for Radley College (also known as "The Pink Cover") created by JWA Ltd., 2008

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

Our work on ebook

JWALTD  always try to find a fresh solution to solving the brief.

We believe the image speaks a thousand words. So our photography drives much of our 

design work. We are convinced the public are more visually articulate than ever before and 

make judgements on what they see before they read. 

We specialise in the production of marketing material for both the independent educational and commercial property sectors.

Here's a selection of our latest photographic and illustration work on Ebook format.

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

Quick fix?

SCHOOLS marketing departments tell me they are inundated by eager agencies offering corporate branding as a one–stop solutions. 

We visited a school recently where the management had invested in a very convincing “brand” but despite that, the head was concerned, because of falling rolls – particularly by a severe lack of response to uptake in the pre-prep department. We looked at the existing prospectus package and noticed that the designer had allocated a tiny DL-sized leaflet to that department. The design concept had driven the solution, which, although attractive, in this case had failed to give the pre-prep department the importance it deserved.

Design solutions should convey information effectively, and should not impose artificial constraints on important information.

We visited another school whose academic reputation was good, yet whose corporate image was very poorly implemented. It appeared there was no specific typeface for the school logo.

Inevitably the website, prospectus and mailshots all suffered from a lack of visual coordination.

For a school that provides a culture of excellence for its students, it’s no longer acceptable to muddle along with a confused marketing strategy. We live in a society where the public are more visually literate than they have ever been. Both of these schools have suffered because of poor advice, and the apparent appeal of ‘one–stop’ solutions.

There are a number of agencies offering one-stop’ solutions that claim to resolve all marketing issues. I think this ‘can do’ philosophy has a compelling appeal to a number of schools, but a quick-fix is not that simple. started my career as a graphic designer working for Sir Norman Foster, and at the time he would (and the company still does) call upon the expertise of specialist consultants to undertake a project, structural engineers, for example.

Similarly I question the ability of these ‘one-stop’ marketing’ companies to exercise ‘best practise’ for a school. It would be a brave claim for a company to be sufficiently talented to undertake the school’s photography, corporate design, prospectus design, DVD filming and web construction, yet they do!

We talk to a wide range of schools across the country regarding prospectus design, and a surprising number complain that agencies are increasingly offering design solutions that have failed to promote a thorough understanding of the dynamics of their school. Perhaps the true qualities of the school are being lost in the name of ‘creative design’. We have seen a plethora of images of smiling children that give little idea of what a school really has to offer. Someone once said ‘that good design never gets noticed’ – clearly there is an element of truth in this. Of course, prospectus design isn’t an end itself but a communication vehicle, it should be, in our opinion, subordinate to its subject, even understated.

In our view, the primary task of the prospectus is to excite and inform, but not to disclose all. Its purpose is to reflect the qualities that make each school ‘special’; it is only by a thorough understanding of the school that this is achievable. It needs to persuade parents and children to visit a school for themselves. Increasingly, parents are looking for breadth in education for their children. Sport can cultivate teamwork and cooperation. Drama, music and art can encourage creativity, individuality and enriches the soul.

JWA is continually analysing how best a school can effectively communicate its breadth of curriculum. We consider it essential to spend time familiarizing ourselves with the life of the school, talking to staff, taking meaningful photographs to gain a better understanding of what makes each school ‘special’. What makes it special, its academic achievements, its location, its ambience, and its legacy? What is it, specifically, that the children enjoy about the school? It could be the brilliant teaching, or the friendly atmosphere. These are factors, which are difficult to capture without a deeper knowledge of the school.

Prospectuses will only be different in appearance when they honestly reflect the life and spirit of each unique institution. To maintain best practice it is vital we maintain careful monitoring of the printing process. Poor printing can undermine all the effort put into the design and photographic process. Similarly the choice of paper can make a real difference to the feel and presentation of the final product.

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS 2009 

FROM JWA

Tough Times

Take the long-term view

Tough times – how should a school’s marketing respond?

There is no question that the squeeze will impact on us all in some way.

But the quality of child’s educational journey is a crucial factor in a their development. In spite of the squeeze, parents will be reluctant to compromise on doing their best. They will look hard for the school that can most effectively nurture their child. They will research the market, scrutinise the website and prospectus to make the right choice on values they see as important. Decisions on the most appropriate school are made on the assessment of positive information. How do schools compete in a culture of 5% inflation?

It is my opinion that there is a case for prioritizing and taking the long-term view. There are two approaches which both have currency. The first is not to compromise on quality because excellence will always resonate with discerning parents, the second is to exercise a conscious policy of prudence. Put simply, in two words: spend wisely!

Many years ago I was involved in the promotion of Milton Keynes New City. The vision for a City of that scale had to be long term and yes there were downturns in the economy, but the evolution of that City was in excess of 25 years. When a recession occurred the vision was not compromised because projected recessions were built into the original financial projection, on the assumption that the pendulum would swing. Today, in spite of a few cynics, Milton Keynes can claim to be one of Britain’s most successful New Towns, not least, because the stakeholders didn’t loose their nerve in lean times.

Similarly, a child’s education can take around 15 years before a student has completed his/her education. It would be a sad day if parents withdrew their children from an excellent school because of a financial squeeze.

Parents have only one chance to expose their children to the education system and most want the best for their children. Each school has its own unique skills and atmosphere. Inevitably there are schools which might not suit some children, whereas, others might be a perfect match for their child’s character and academic skills to grow.

In deciding on the right school is important for parents to discover what schools have to offer, and what makes each school special. For parents to have choice and make the right decision is vital that the prospectus has grasped the unique flavour of the school. It is the subtle differences that can make a school appropriate for one child. One school we were involved with had been perceived as being a ‘hot house’. But on further scrutiny, in fact, it was not only highly academic but offered students a generous choice of interesting opportunities, including overseas visits, exceptional music and arts facilities, furthermore the students had a great time. Other schools may have a bias towards sport or debating/drama. Some schools have majored on redeveloping their boarding houses and have special facilities to make boarding a home from home experience 

It is essential that prospectus/web designer tease out these qualities so the process of choice for both parents and children is made easier. It’s not ideal for children to change schools because the information given proved inadequate or misleading. A quality production does not mean lavish, but it needs to be informative, it needs to convey the spirit of care and a give a clear idea of the school’s objectives. Compelling text and well observed, engaging photography help to convey the unique character of a school. The information the prospectus and its information booklet provide should enable the reader to distinguish it from other schools. Yet, at a marketing conference I attended recently one head said to me, “Why do so many prospectuses look identical”?

It is a paradox that the very schools that advocate a culture of excellence continue to be persuaded by design groups who are prepared to offer free pitching. A practise where a “quick fix” solution is tabled as a serious proposal.’ It undermines the integrity of the design industry and treats design as a style business, relegating design to a magic wand. What I fail to understand is why perceptive stakeholders are driven by such an unprofessional practise. How can a superficial, pitch solution represent an in-depth understanding of a complex institution? Yet, contracts continue to be awarded to those companies who exercise free pitching. If parents are to make informed decisions they need high quality information and yet schools persist in underselling themselves.

In our experience, it is not until you have a good understanding of a school that you are in a position to make an informed proposal on how a design solution for branding or a prospectus might work. Our design solutions endeavour reflect the life and spirit of each school they promote, it’s because every school has its own distinct character that the different. 

Spend wisely; it costs no more to do things well than it does to do them badly.

In this period of tough times we owe it to the parents to make informed choices, we at JWA would like to be a part of that process. 

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

Contesting The Clones

We were one of the exhibitors at the ISC Marketing 2008. It was an early start. I think I arrived at the Russell Hotel at 6.45 am! 

But in the frenzied excitement of the day, meeting friends, colleagues, attending the stimulating seminars, our effectiveness in reaching those who were interested in knowing more about JWA might have become eclipsed!

JWA is a small, but well-established, successful design company, that likes to see itself as a mirror! Why, you may ask, should we identify ourselves with a mirror?

Quite simply, we at JWA see our primary task is to design prospectuses that not only inspire the reader, but also accurately reflect the life and spirit of each school, and in doing so, aim to make the difference.

There is a well-tried exercise to test the accuracy of any prospectus and that is to exchange the name on the cover for another school. If the prospectus still works, (and there’s a very good chance it will!) then the prospectus designer has failed to understand his brief.

We frequently discover that many design companies have a stronger sales team than they do design team, and their products can suffer from being clones, failing to differentiate one school from another! The implication of a prospectus that does not effectively expose the true benefits of a particular school has profound repercussions. It is both misleading for the parents; a disservice to the school and not cost-effective.

Many believe that today the real marketing for a school is achieved by the web site. We of course believe this to be too simplistic. The web site needs to work in conjunction with and be complimentary to the prospectus. The prospectus provides a quality, tactile insight to the school, whereas the website provides detailed and up to the minute information. A good web site can complement a good prospectus, especially if their design is well coordinated. 

Every school is different. It serves distinct target groups, and inevitably every school has its own character and profile. We see it as a major part of our brief to find what makes each school distinctive. The objective of many schools could be shared, empowering the child to discover his potential and the value of community. But it is the different ways schools choose to undertake the educational process, which distinguishes one from another. Yet, too many prospectuses look the same, a criticism levelled to me only last month when a friend of mine had worked his way through a pile of prospectuses, looking for a suitable school for his son. Parents and children need to be able to make informed choices.

We are convinced that it takes quite a degree of understanding before you can design a prospectus that honestly reflects a particular school. A charming marketing lady told me she thought she would like to see page layouts/style sheets of a school prospectus before she would appoint a design company. This is a little premature. It is unrealistic, in my opinion, to hypothetically work up a design until you are familiar with the life and spirit of a school. We don’t do it. Informed design solutions can only be arrived at through relevant knowledge of the school. Therefore I find it counterproductive that so many prospectuses are marketed by style rather than content! We suggest that it is preferable to inspect the design company’s portfolio and then check with the school, to confirm how successful the publication has been.

For marketing to be effective, it is essential to convey the real benefits, distinct purpose and vision of each school in the prospectus, if it is going to have any impact on an informed decision making process. In fact, in this economic downturn, to avoid miss-understandings, it is important to communicate the ethos and objectives of a school as accurately as possible.

In the bustle of manning our stand at ISC 2008 this is difficult material to discuss, but it may help you understand why we are here again!

Schools are as exciting, dynamic and individual as the people in them and the objective to convey that will remain the challenge.

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

On Schools Web Design

Excellence will be continually under scrutiny.

We are given to believe the quality of academic education at the majority of independent school today is as good as it ever has been. There seems to a growing confidence that their own staff can not only teach but tackle the most ambitious projects beyond the classroom. Schools can draw on a wealth of in-house talent. Staff can now be responsible for raising 3 million for a new teaching block, designing the new website and prospectus, to taking a group to explore the Chinese Wall!

This “can do” philosophy is something worth applauding, admirable, if the school can save by utilising “in house” talent. Enthusiasm, confidence and convenience are words which came to mind when schools appoint their own staff to undertake projects beyond their prescribed remit. But a word of caution needs to be shared when that commission ventures into the school’s marketing strategy. There appears to be a number of reasons why a school may choose to use their own staff; we can do it better, we can save money, we will have better control, but in reality, there have been a few pitfalls!

There are examples where the initial enthusiasm of the staff to take on projects has subsequently faltered because staff have been overwhelmed by the demands of their core activity. There is an increasing number of schools whose IT staff have volunteered their expertise to construct and maintain the school’s website, only to discover that they took on a project which demanded a larger share of their time than they had anticipated.

Many teaching staff own high resolution digital cameras and their images are appearing in school publicity. This can be helpful particularly when an event occurs off site or overseas. But when these pictures are published there are frequently problems.

A number of schools continue to use ‘well meaning’ staff with limited knowledge of design or typography or the ability to buy good printing.

The real issue here is that schools prefer to be perceived as centres of excellence. Not only in the possession of academic results, but in all that they do. The dilemma is that we have an increasingly visually articulate public who are scrutinising all that a school does. This includes anything that enters the public domain.

It is difficult to dampen the enthusiasm of staff eager to get involved. But there are still too many websites which are out of date, under construction or fail to work, merely because the in house staff are too busy. There are too many school publications which fail to conform to the school’s branding ethos, or suffer from poor repro.

The solution is to be well informed in the first place. Involve your design company in advising on how the talents of the school’s staff can be constructively used. In terms of web site management, use an efficient content management system. This will enable the schools to easily update the site. Whilst its design remains consistent to the school's corporate identity.

Consistent use of the corporate branding is vital if a school is going to convey an impressive public profile. To achieve this use a standard set of corporate guidelines. These need to be issued by the design company. This would cover the correct use of colours, typeface specification and logo and the use of (recycled) paper.

There are still too many excellent schools that have misunderstood the importance of effective branding. The visual links between the school’s website to the prospectus, the stationery and school livery should consistently reinforcing marketing strategy. It’s worth checking your school’s public profile to see how well co-ordinated the Corporate identity is being implemented. If it is managed well, then the public have a good clue that the school is being well managed.

Good schools need to be seen as excellent in all areas that impact on the public.

If you would like to explore cost effective ways of co-ordinate school branding, the Prospectus, the website, the fund raising programme JWA would be pleased to hear from you.

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com

Design Consultants

JWA LTD 

DESIGN CONSULTANTS

We are an established design consultancy who relishes the challenge of finding creative solutions for their clients. We have over the last 20 years built good relationships with commercial property clients and independent schools. A clear understanding of the brief has provided fresh solutions for our clients.

Property

We have produced creative design solutions for the marketing of commercial property for over 20 years. The use of imaginative photography has helped to keep our solutions memorable and competitive.

Pre-Prep, Preparatory, and Senior Schools/Colleges

Our approach to promoting independent education is professional, personal and enthusiastic. We aim to reflect the character and spirit of each school. We do not have a standard design format that is imposed on each school. On the contrary, we evolve individual solutions that tease out the distinct character of each school; its own, unique benefits.

There is no doubt that in visiting a school a number of times, our own photography gives us an insight and understanding which enables us to shape our ideas, and develop meaningful design solutions, built by first hand experience of the school.

We are aware that today's school stakeholders are visually articulate and highly critical of a school's corporate identity. We are advocates of coherence in the implementation of a school's branding and design corporate guidelines to ensure consistent implementation.

We will always fight for cost effective, creative excellence, from the initial concept right through to the final production. We promote the use of recycled stock in our productions and find ways of reducing a client's carbon footprint. The scope of our work embraces fund raising material, signage, website design, school promotional material, associated marketing material, photography and prospectuses.

Our client list is testimony to what we advocate.

For more information please visit our website www.jwaltd.com