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News Pella Schools Branding Project Update

Published on March 9, 2022

In March of 2021 a project was created to look at PCSD branding and to develop a brand package for the District. Shortly after that project kicked off, PCSD hired Rickabaugh Graphics out of Ohio to guide us through this process. Rickabaugh Graphics, who has also worked with high schools and colleges such as Dallas Center Grimes, Ohio State University and the University of Iowa, recommended that PCSD get permission from Purdue University before building a brand package around the “Motion P.” Purdue University’s legal counsel informed us that we could no longer use the “Motion P” logo on any profit-generating items moving forward.

This prompted the Pella Schools Branding Committee to begin researching and developing some options for a new P logo. Twenty-two P logos were created by Rickabaugh Graphics and then altered and narrowed down by the Pella Branding Committee before being sent out to a vote to various stakeholders involved with Pella Schools. During this process over 1,500 votes were submitted to lead us to our new P logo (below). Once the P-logo was finalized, the committee began to seek input from stakeholders to develop a brand package around the new P logo.

A couple words that kept coming to the surface during these meetings were “heritage” and “tradition.” Rickabaugh Graphics and the Pella Branding Committee researched Dutch heritage to ensure the new brand package offered a logo and options that reflected the tradition and heritage of both Pella and the Dutch. After many small-group and one-on-one meetings with stakeholders, the committee decided to move forward with a logo that represents one of the historic windmills in Pella (below).

The goal of this project from the beginning was to create a brand package that was unique to Pella Schools and that would allow us to be consistent with our brand moving forward. When the finalized Pella Schools brand guide is complete, it will be shared out. Some parts of the brand package are below.