There are a lot of great organizations out there working for change. Education has been on my mind a lot in the past two weeks, as one school year comes to an end, and discussions begin in earnest about what the school year looks like in September. I’ve been looking at a lot of education organizations, and thought I’d share a logo that I came across that really spoke to me. I didn’t design it, but I really wish I had!
As a refresher, an effective logo is Simple, Memorable, Timeless, Versatile, and Appropriate. The Santa Monica Education Foundation logo is all of these.
I love the icon: a simple paper airplane, painted to look like a pencil. It says everything in a quick glance: education, kids, fun. And their tagline, Helping Students Soar, reinforces that. The colors are bright and striking, and the font has a friendly, yet professional, feel.
I wish they made better use of the icon in other places, like their website and Annual Gratitude Report—the geometric airplane shapes could could be used throughout to create a dynamic and bold look, and the other icons on the website could play off of the same theme. There are so many fun possibilities here that could help their brand soar too!
What do you think?