Noble and Greenough School, known as Nobles, offers a wide range of competitive athletic programs for students in grades 7-12 in the Boston area.

The goal was to create a school-wide bulldog identity that every sport could adopt and eliminate the patchwork of designs for good.

A (BRAND) Identity Crisis 

Noble and Greenough School has never had a unified identity based around a bulldog. Instead, coaches and staff created their own versions on a whim—from different bulldogs, typefaces, variations of the blue, etc. That stopped today as I helped create a school-wide brand identity system built around cohesion, school spirit and professionalism. (See 'FIG –01', the first image below.)

The Game Plan

Based on the discovery phase, we knew to incorporate the shield from the school crest with a new bulldog mark and integrate the school's distinctive architecture in a non forced way. The identity needed to be clean but dynamic, functional in one color and strong enough to stand on its own without relying on color as a crutch. The restrictions were: no state imagery and no playful or childlike aesthetics. The Bulldog had to feel more proud, intimidating and confident.

Approved Solution

The bulldog needed to feel bold, proud and intimidating, reflecting the character and intensity of Nobles athletics. The existing Nobles shield was integrated into the new mark to maintain the visual connection to the school's broader identity and tradition.

The one asset in Noble’s toolkit that has major brand equity (along with the school crest), is their Blue pantone. I expanded the blue and white palette with a neutral grey that would give the athletics branding more dynamism while looking seamless when used with the other colors.

A visual brand in athletics isn’t complete without a custom wordmark. The wordmark needed to be an extension of the traits that were defined to create the bulldog and feel rooted in heritage while reading as modern, athletic and uniquely Nobles.

Most importantly, the identity needed to match where Nobles athletics is headed. Competing at the highest level in the ISL and NESPAC, it’s important to have a brand that looks and feels like a program that wins and unites the entire school community behind something they can be proud of.