Brand and Style Guide 2020-2021 - Mount Vernon LookUp
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Brand and Style Guide
2020-2021
BRAND PROMISE
Mount Vernon engages every learner with a challenging, dynamic teaching model that stimulates critical
inquiry and imagination to produce innovative outcomes.
Our teachers are constantly learning and craving new information.
Our students are challenged to be adaptable, progressive thinkers and compassionate leaders.
Our learning spaces are open and flexible, to allow our students and teachers to collaborate,
create, and design.
Above all else, by being intentional about blurring the lines between school and the real world, we are leading
the way in transforming education and creating a destination for anyone seeking to design a better world.
This is who we are. This is what we do. We are Mount Vernon.
BRANDSCRIPT
According to author Donald Miller, all memorable stories and movies more or less follow the same plot line:
“A hero has a problem. They meet a guide. The guide helps the hero solve the problem”. Miller says that if we
really want to engage our audience and get people excited about our brand, we should be creating a story
that positions our users (customer) as the hero in our brand’s story: a “BrandScript”. Below is the basics to
our BrandScript which frames our messaging, advertising, and marketing. It should also be the lens by which
we communicate to both current and prospective families.
Donald Miller is the author of Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen.
BRAND PROMISE AND MV SEAL
OUR HERO
A parent who wants independent, confident, well-adjusted, children who are unafraid to seek and explore.
They want to be connected to a community where they feel like they belong.
WHY DO THEY WANT TO COME TO MOUNT VERNON?
“At our current school, my child is uninspired because the methods and content of learning are
predetermined. Our current school operates without knowing the needs of my child. Schools should be
focused on understanding each student as an individual.“
OUR EMPATHETIC STATEMENT
Children have big ideas and when teachers really know their students’ curiosities and passions, incredible
things happen.
OUR BRAND AGREEMENTS
Children at Mount Vernon will...
Build Relationships Listen with Empathy
Experience Expeditionary Learning Become Confident
Be Encouraged to Explore Curiosities Benefit From a Strong Parent Community
Be College Ready Fail up
Engage in Real-world Work
4
PRIMARY LOGOS
These primary logos should be used in the following circumstances:
- Stationary and signage - Maps
- Admissions collateral - Strategic Partners (EdLeader21, Ashoka,
MODA, etc.)
- Social Media
- Athletic Identity
- Website
THE MOUNT VERNON SCHOOL
While we culturally refer to the School as Mount Vernon, we recognize that there are moments when we
need to be more explicit about being a school. As such, in the following circumstances we should refer to
the School as The Mount Vernon School.
- Formal Moments, Speeches
- College Profile and College Admissions
- Foundations
- Associations
- GISA
What about Mount Vernon School?
With exception, in school listings we will be known as “Mount Vernon School”
MISSION, NORMS, PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE, AND THE MV MIND
Mission
Inquiry College Ready
Innovation Globally Competitive
Impact Engaged Citizen Leaders
Grounded in Christian Values
PURPOSE
CULTURE
OUR TRUE NORTH
In a community where students are empowered to
discover their curiosities and passions and where
learning is amplified through real-world problem-
solving, The Mount Vernon Continuum serves as
the School’s strategic blueprint. The Continuum Norms
highlights the keys to Mount Vernon’s success:
Start With Questions
- a clear and compelling mission Fail Up
Share the Well
- cultural norms inviting people to step out- Assume the Best
side of their comfort zone Have Fun
- design principles and practices guiding
teaching and learning
- and six significant mindsets resulting in an
impactful experience
Throughout the school year, the Mount Vernon
Continuum serves as our North Star.
6
Principles & Practice
Relationships are Foundational for Learning
Curiosity and Passion Drive Learning
Learning Demands Interactive and Flexible Spaces
Empathy Influences Learning
Learners Apply Knowledge to Make an Impact
DESIGN
RESULTS
MV Mind
Creative Thinker Solution Seeker Communicator
Innovator Collaborator Ethical Decision-Maker
MISSION
At Mount Vernon, our purpose is driven by our mission.
We are a School of inquiry, innovation, and impact. Grounded in Christian values, we prepare all
students to be college ready, globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders.
MISSION, NORMS, PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE, AND THE MV MIND
NORMS
At Mount Vernon, our brand is inherently connected to what we call our MV Norms, which are a set of five
cultural behaviors woven through our learning, our relationships, and our work:
Start With Questions
Fail Up
Share the Well
Assume the Best
Have Fun
PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE
Mount Vernon’s people-centered design principles and practice guide teaching and learning.
We believe:
Relationships are Foundational for Learning
Curiosity & Passion Drive Learning
Learning Demands Interactive and Flexible Spaces
Empathy Influences Learning
Learners Apply Knowledge to make an Impact
By designing our school around these principles, we have set the conditions for our learners to excel in
college, career, and citizenship.
IDEA STATEMENT
Anchored in Christian values — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control — relationships at Mount Vernon are foundational to learning. Preparing students to be college
ready, globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders call us to lean in to inclusion, diversity, equity, and
action.
Creating and cultivating connections between all people, ideas, and sectors, the School welcomes all learners
to wrestle with voices and perspectives that challenge our assumptions, biases, stereotypes, and privileges.
Not allowing our differences to divide us requires each of us to engage in honest, vulnerable, and courageous
conversations through empathy, reflection, examination, and action. Being real agents of change is a
continuous journey.
Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, our trust in each other strengthens our sense of identity,
autonomy, and interdependence. As a school of inquiry, innovation, and impact, we are committed to creating
and sustaining a school culture where all members feel valued and safe, sharing their authentic selves to
design a better world…together.
8
THE MVMIND One of the most concrete ways the Mount Vernon community lives out its mission is through the development and implementation of the Mount Vernon Mind. These relevant and research-based mindsets position students for college, career and citizenship –in other words– for life. At Mount Vernon, we infuse the mindsets of Solution Seeker, Ethical- Decision Maker, Communicator, Creative Thinker, Innovator, and Collaborator throughout all of our teaching and learning.
MV DOT & COMMON LOGO CONSTRUCTIONS
MV DOT
Our MV Dot evolved from our traditional seal. Its is Mount Vernon’s primary identity.
Please consult the brand team before tilting, recoloring outside of brand colors, or putting any other
iconography or typography inside the dot.
EXAMPLES OF IMPROPER USAGE
MV
10COMBINING LOGOS
Our Mount Vernon brand includes many different logos and identities, such as those below. While each
of these elements are emblematic of our brand, they do not always have to stand alone. However, when
combining these elements, please adhere to the following standards:
- Any element used with the School name should be centered with a slightly larger MV dot.
- No more than two elements should be combined at a time.
GRAPHIC RESOLUTION AND FILE TYPES
Resolution is referred to, using two terms: DPI and PPI. It’s the density of the dots of ink printed on an inch of printing
surface. High quality print work requires a 300DPI/PPI graphic file to print; whereas, digital photography should be a
minimum height of 1000px to display without distortion. Refer to the following file types for their usage.
Files for Print usage:
TIFF: high image quality and large file size (compressing image does not reduce quality)
EPS: most common for saving vector graphics to preserve their scalability
PDF: preserves the original content and appearance of a file regardless of where or how it is viewed
Files for Digital usage:
JPG (or JPEG): standard setting on a camera
PNG: high image quality; supports transparency/opacity
BRAND ASSET FOLDER
As a faculty/staff member, you have access to a shared Brand Asset Folder containing all of the brand
elements you might need to create brand-aligned documents, presentations, signs, or any other collateral
to represent the School. Please do not share these outside of the organization. If a parent requests brand
elements, please let the Brand Team know and we will be happy to assist them.OUR COLORS
GREY
NAVY
The Mount Vernon color palette consists of three
primary colors (Navy, Grey, and White) and five
secondary colors (Willow, Graphite, Opal, Tango, and
Dandelion).
When possible and appropriate, the MV Dot and
letterhead should be presented in Navy as this color
represents the strength, determination and boldness
of our community. If Navy will not work, use Black,
White, or Graphite.
Our secondary colors are used for highlighting and
accenting. When used appropriately, secondary colors
help to promote the energy, vibrancy, and excitement
of our community.
Special Note For High-Profile Print Projects
If you are a classroom teacher or are printing
something for on campus use only, you should not
require any special codes than what is outlined here.
COLOR PALETTE
NEW NAVY GREY W
PANTONE 534C PANTONE 420C P
CMYK 91|71|36|56 CMYK 13|08|11|26 C
RGB 31|53|94 RGB 202|200|200 R
# 1B365D # C7C9C7 #
12WILLOW
GRAPHITE
OPAL
TANGO
DANDELION
WILLOW GRAPHITE OPAL TANGO DANDELION
PANTONE 366C PANTONE 446C PANTONE 564C PANTONE 7625C PANTONE 123C
CMYK 51|00|71|00 CMYK 54|27|36|62 CMYK 54|00|29|02 CMYK 00|93|95|02 CMYK 00|11|80|00
RGB 183|220|120 RGB 62|69|67 RGB 131|200|188 RGB 232|80|61 RGB 255|198|39
# BDE18A # 3D4242 # 9DD5D3 # E1523D # FFC72C14
COLOR COMBINATIONS
USE
USE
USE
USEUSE USE USE
COMBINING COLOR
Please use this visual as a guide for coupling or grouping MV brand colors.PHOTOGRAPHY AND TYPOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
At Mount Vernon, we love to tell our story through photos.
With so many opportunities to document the learning that occurs every day throughout the School, in
each division, and in the classroom and beyond, we seek to capture the heart of our community.
Our photos are shared with local media, in our digital magazine, on our news story blog which feeds our
weekly newsletter, and in marketing collateral.
Teachers, please be mindful of students who have opted out of published photography. As a reminder,
the School’s Media Release can be found on page 13 of the Student Handbook:
“I hereby give the School permission to use my child’s name, photo or film footage of my child (or ward)
or any of his/her work, or any approved third party vendor, permission to use my child’s name, photo or
film footage of my child (or ward) or any of his/her work for any news release, for publicity purposes, on
the School’s web site, in the yearbook and directory, or by any approved third party vendor in any media
for any purpose which may include, among others, advertising, promotion, marketing, and packaging for
any product or service.”
16TYPOGRAPHY We have two standard brand fonts. Both are free Google fonts and are available for download in most design software (including WordPress, and Google Drive). We will continue to use La Gioconda for our official Mount Vernon logo, as it is the established center of our iconography. Roboto is used in “The Mount Vernon School” logo when it is used. Specialty fonts are used on a by-project basis (Northwell for example), but due to licensing restrictions are not available to everyone. Roboto Roboto Regular AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz Roboto Light AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz Roboto Bold AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz Roboto Black AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz Playfair Display Playfair Display Regular AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz Playfair Display Bold AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz
HAVE A REQUEST? USE THE FORM
We are here to support your message and ideas.
If there is one thing to remember... fill out this form: bit.ly/mvrequest
COMMUNICATION REQUESTS
What is happening in your classroom?
Do you know of anything coming up that might be photo-worthy?
Was one of your students recognized for something innovative?
Can we recognize you for an outstanding achievement?
We want to know about all of these things! If you would like for the Community Development team to feature
REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
something that is going on in your classroom (on Bloomz, LookUp, weekly newsletter, or social media),
please let us know by filling out the form or contact Katie Trenney.
DESIGN REQUESTS
Signage, brochures
Student project design
Conference or event collateral
Design feedback
Design and Printing Requests
Lead times for most projects is three weeks, but could be longer due to complexity. To process from a
finished design to print takes about 72 hours (depending on quantity and scope). Printing on banners and
large format can be 7-10 business days from finalized artwork.
PHOTOGRAPHY REQUESTS
Our goal is to capture as many learning demonstrations, performances, competitions and events as possible.
While planning ahead is encouraged, last minute requests are accepted, and we will do our best to provide
coverage.
Occasionally, we might be unable to honor a photography request because of a high volume of activity on
campus. In such a situation, we ask faculty or staff members to take photos (high resolution, if possible) and
share them with the Brand Development Team. Photos should come directly from a phone or camera (not
taken from social media) to preserve the highest possible resolution.
18COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
The Community Development team oversees all communication efforts of Mount Vernon by working
alongside faculty and staff to ensure communication from the School is consistently clear, concise, and
aligned with its mission.
- Head of School Weekly Update - School Publications (marketing items or,
programs)
- Division Weekly Updates
- School & Athletic Apparel (Spirit Wear)
- Weekly Newsletter
- Signage (Permanent and Temporary)
- MV Website
- School Announcements
- Bloomz
- LookUp
- Student ann Family Handbook
If you have news, information, or announcements to share with either the entire school community or a specific
segment (grade level, class, or team) please work with and through the Community Development Team.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Please contact Chief Community Development Officer, Anne Katz, if someone from the local media
contacts you to ask questions about the School or if you see something unflattering about MV on social
media or elsewhere.
PRINT DISCLAIMER
Our high level brand assets have strict printing requirements and usage guidelines. Please contact the Brand
Development Team if you would like to print any of the following:
- the Continuum - MVx
- the MVMind - promotional materials and products
IT REQUESTS
For IT Requests, please use the following URL http://network.mvps.us/ or email
support@mountvernonschool.orgSOCIAL MEDIA STANDARDS
One of the most successful ways we share our story is through the use of social media. On average, we
receive 1,000 views per post on Mount Vernon’s Facebook page and the number of our Instagram and Twitter
followers grows daily.
While the School embraces these platforms as valuable outlets for sharing our stories, celebrations,
announcements, and upcoming events, please keep these points in mind:
- When posting about the School, please contribute valuable information to the community. Personal
and political posts should not be associated with the School.
- Positive posts that solve a problem, answer a question, entertain, or inspire, are most likely to be
shared, favorited, or liked.
- It is helpful to include links, photos, or videos–these posts are often viewed and shared more.
SCHOOL USERNAMES AND PROFILE PAGES
Twitter - @MVPSchool
Instagram - MVmustangs
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mountvernonschool
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClwnABmcQKRsCpcabKJfJAg/videos
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/school/mount-vernon-presbyterian-school/
HASHTAGS
The pound sign (or hashtag) turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link.
This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. Use these on any
social stream to loop in others. All tweets should use #mvpschool first and foremost.
#mvpschool - Official School Hashtag
#imamustang - Celebrating Mustang Spirit
#mvhhd - Helping Hands Day
#mvinterim - Interim Term Updates
#MVIFI - Mount Vernon Institute For Innovation
#learnservegive - Community Development
PLATFORMS
20EMAIL LIST-SERVES Use the following list-serves in Gmail to communicate with a specific MV group. The following groups are the “official” permanent groups of faculty and staff, which are kept up-to-date by IT as personnel changes are made. These should be used whenever possible in order to maintain consistency and accuracy. All of these groups are configured to allow anyone in faculty and staff to post an email message to the respective group. Group Name | Description facultystaff | All faculty and staff administration | All Administrators informationupdate | Everyone notified when a parent updates their contact information extendedplay | All K-8 Extended Play faculty and staff preschool | Preschool, Preschool, and Preschool Extended Play faculty lowerschool | All Lower School faculty and staff middleschool | All Middle School faculty and staff upperschool | All Upper School faculty and staff lowercampus | All Lower Campus faculty and staff uppercampus | All Upper Campus faculty and staff LOOKUP What is LookUp? Mount Vernon’s LookUp site is a searchable resource for parents, faculty, and students to find forms, schedules, documents, and other Mount Vernon resources easily. It was created to help our community find information quickly by entering keywords into a Google-inspired search bar. Visit LookUp: http://lookup.mountvernonschool.org How do I request an article update? If an article on LookUp is either outdated or non-existent, please complete the request form (bit.ly/mvrequest) to include the revised information along with photos/videos/links, if applicable.
BLOOMZ
What is Bloomz?
Bloomz is our NEW parent-focused mobile and browser app that delivers non-curricular school
communications from division heads and other administrative staff to inform our community about life at
Mount Vernon.
Who is the target audience?
Mount Vernon families, faculty, and staff.
What information will I find on Bloomz?
Bloomz is primarily used to communicate mobile-friendly short-form messages in a newsfeed format, much
like Facebook, to the families of Mount Vernon students. These messages are non-curricular, focusing on
announcements, upcoming events, calls to action, student/faculty/family accomplishments, news story links,
weather alerts, and other day-to-day happenings around the School. The messages are brief and will often
link to LookUp, web-based forms, or other external sources.
Additionally, Bloomz will allow you to source the following:
- Master Calendar
- Sign ups for specific events
- Photos, videos, and forms
- Personal parent/faculty/staff individual and group text feature
What will Bloomz replace?
Bloomz will replace School Rush, along with most email communications to the Mount Vernon community
from the School. This platform will be the primary communication tool for events, announcements, and calls
to action school-wide, per division, for each grade level, and sometimes on a class by class basis.
- Each Division will continue to use their respective learning management system (PowerSchool,
PowerSchool Learning, FreshGrade, Kaymbu, etc.) to relay course requirements, grades, and prog-
ress monitoring.
- Athletic scores, schedules, and game information can be found by downloading the Mascot Media
app at mountvernonschool.org/spirit, while announcements regarding state playoffs, fan-night
details, and other community news will be shared via Bloomz.
Who will post to Bloomz?
Bloomz messaging will be executed as a role of the Community Development team, under the purview
of Anne Katz, Chief Community Development Officer. There will, however, be several individuals in other
departments who will have the ability to post Bloomz messages - for example, College Counseling, Athletics,
and Arts.
PLATFORMS
If you have questions or post requests please contact Director of Community Events Molly Crane (mcrane@
mountvernonschool.org).
22SLACK
Slack is a communication tool that allows teams to sort, search, and navigate inter-team communication.
Below are some suggested communication norms as they relate to the tools inside of Slack. Before diving
into these, it is important to understand that a tool is only as useful as it is used. For a tool to be effective,
setting expectations is key. All team members have to understand that Slack is the primary communication
tool we will use and it is our responsibility to point our team members to use it over all other forms of
communication.
Slack is…
- A place for the leaders of Mount Vernon to have asynchronous communication.
- A tool that allows team members to have choice over what information they want to be in the know
about and what not to be in the know about.
- A tool that allows a team member to set their own notifications and have autonomy over when they
receive messages.
- A place to have fun! Jokes, .gifs, pictures are welcome in most channels as long as it is done in
moderation.
- A replacement for email for leadership teams. You may cascade Slack into your team if you find it
helpful. Be sure to create a channel for your team and send these communication norms to team
members.
- A place for others to feel free to collaborate in providing information. If someone asks a question
and you know the answer… help a teammate out!
Slack is not…
- A project management tool, but it could be a project clarity tool.
- A place to get into heated discussions. If it gets heated, unplug and sync up in person or over the
phone.
INVITING NEW TEAMS
Before inviting new teams please contact @russelltodd or @treyboden and we will help assist in the roll out.
We have both rolled out Slack teams that have gone well and others that could have gone better. Let us help
you!OUR VERNACULAR
Any representation of the School (digital, print, or social) must adhere to our Brand Standards.
- Mount is always spelled out (never Mt.).
- Where applicable, “the School” (with a capital ‘S’) is an appropriate replacement for Mount Vernon.
- You may abbreviate the School as MV in all caps with no gaps.
Preschool Terms
Prekindergarten 3 (3-Day)
Prekindergarten 3 (5-Day)
Prekindergarten 4
Prekindergarten 5
Lower School Terms
Kindergarten (K, plural Kindergartners)
grade 1 or first grade
grade 2 or second grade
grade 3 or third grade
grade 4 or fourth grade
grade 5 or fifth grade
Middle School Terms
grade 6 or sixth grade
grade 7 or seventh grade
grade 8 or eighth grade
Upper School Terms
grade 9, ninth grade or freshman
grade 10, tenth grade or sophomore
grade 11, eleventh grade or junior
grade 12, twelfth grade or senior
The Early Preschool (EPS) serves children in the Mount Vernon community from six weeks old to age two.
Spaces in the EPS are open to MV faculty first, and any remaining spaces are filled with MV siblings and
outside community families. The EPS is overseen by the Preschool administrative staff. Classes in the Early
Preschool include: Infants, Toddlers, and Twos.
VERNACULAR
24TITLES AND REFERENCES All words in organizational titles should be capitalized, unless that word is a preposition, article, or conjunction. For example: Head of School Middle School Dean of Students Chief Admissions Officer When referring to a student, use their first name, last name, and graduation year. EXAMPLE: Audrey O’Toole, Class of 2021 When referring to a student on external publications, use their first name, last initial, and graduation year. EXAMPLE: Reese A, Class of 2028 When referring to dates, never use a ‘th’, ‘nd’, or ‘st’ suffix. EXAMPLE: August 11, 2020 (not 13th) MOUNT VERNON FACILITY REFERENCES: Fellowship Hall Upper Campus Gym Gailey Hall Upper School Black Box Headquarters (HQ) Hive New Upper School Terms K Commons/K Collab College Counseling Suite Lightbox First District Lower Campus (LC) Learning Stairs (Interior and Exterior) Lower Campus Courtyard Made in MV School Store Lower Campus Field Meet Up Room Lower Campus Gym Neighborhoods Lower Campus Patio Second District Middle School Art Gallery The Café Middle School Black Box The View Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church (MVPC) Third District Mustang Athletic Center (MAC) Three North Overlook Three South Skybox Two North Studio(i) Two South The Frontier Upper School Arts District The Hive Upper Campus (UC) Upper Campus Athletic Field Upper Campus Baseball Diamond MVX USAGE: MVX, our bold strategic plan, captures how we intend to continue to evolve as a school. The “x” should always be written as a superscript unless it is unavailable. In these instances use “MVx” as an appropriate use. MVX is a document that was intended to be shared in three parts: Design driver, Strategic Focus, and the MVX Framework. You can find printable versions of MVX at mountvernonschool.org/mvx.
EMAIL SIGNATURES
Email signatures must include all of the following:
Name (in bold)
Title
Address
Phone
School website
Logo
If you do not have an extension, please use the campus phone number where you are most often located.
Your signature is your digital business card. Feel free to add on any other social accounts where you would
like our community to connect with you. Separate your social information with a line break under the School
website.
EXAMPLE:
Dr. Brett Jacobsen
Head of School
The Mount Vernon School
510 Mount Vernon Highway, NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 252-3448 x2900
www.mountvernonschool.org
To edit your signature, navigate to your Gmail inbox, select the cog in the top right corner and select ‘settings’.
On the following page, scroll down until you see the ‘edit signature’ section. Remember to select save changes.
EMAIL SIGNATURE
26We are a School of inquiry, innovation, and impact. Grounded
in Christian values, we prepare all students to be college ready,
globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders.You can also read
