All signs point to JC.
The Admissions and Facilities Departments teamed up to create a more recognizable, more professional-looking, and more inviting JC through extensive easy-to-read signage.
“When visitors, alumni, students, and parents visit JC, I want them to have a special experience every time,” Director of Admissions Jesse Roberts said.
Director of Facilities Stewart Walker plans for every space from offices to classrooms to be clearly identified, incorporating fonts, logos, colors, and designs from the Admission Department’s rebranding campaign.
“We have very strict brand requirements in terms of colors and identity packaging, and we wanted to make sure that we stayed true to that while also providing a strong campus feel when you come to JC,” Roberts said.
Working with the Admissions Department, Walker implemented a “three-layer signage plan.” According to Walker, the first layer is “big picture identification,” the signage that visitors first see when entering the campus.
This first layer includes a refreshed marquee at the school’s entrance, new banners on campus lampposts, and the new cast aluminum lettering that spells “The John Carroll School” along the exterior Fine Arts Wing wall. The Admissions and Facilities Departments wanted the school’s name to be clearly visible from the road to increase campus recognition in the community.
“If we just had a banner hanging on the art wing wall, it sends a different message than cast aluminum letters, landscaping below, and lights at night,” Walker said.
“[The lettering] says that we want more students, and it makes us look like a really good school. People will go online and do their research about JC,” junior T’Keyah Lisbon said.
Included in this new exterior signage, the lamppost banners serve two purposes: school identification and school branding. The banners incorporate the school’s “Patriots Do” campaign and the “Compelling. Considerate. Uncompromising.” tagline.
“The banners say, ‘organization.’ It looks very official,” senior Cat Gordon said.
According to Walker, the second layer of signage involves “way-finding signage,” the directory information that visitors need for school navigation.
“It’s not just about where signs are located or placed. You should be able to figure out where you’re going on campus without necessarily having someone point the way to you,” Roberts said.
“We’re always looking for organization and looking to do it well, and this signage is designed and installed in a way that is geared towards visitors and guests,” Walker said.
Walker hopes to have the way-finding signs in place by Jan. 2011. The signs will be positioned at “places of strategic decision like the main hall.”
In addition to the interior way-finding signage, Walker plans to replace aging outdoor directory information in the coming years but admits it may be hard while facing economic challenges.
“We still need to work on the exterior way-finding signs. It’s not what it needs to be…. Spending is just restricted. We have to be very strategic about where we spend our budget and when. If you don’t have it, you can’t spend it,” Walker said.
The final layer is specific room and area signage, much of which was added on Oct. 28 for Open House. The facilities department installed the new vinyl identification labels at the entrances to major areas such as the Courtyard, Main Office, Academic Wing, Fine Arts Wing, and Upper Gym.
“It would have helped if they had the signs up on the first day, so it would be easier to find your classes,” freshman Gracie Hunt said.
“It makes the school look fancier and more up-to-date,” senior Kyle McVicker said.
New classroom numbering will eventually be added to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 standards, including mounting signs at a height of 60 inches and adding Braille to room signage.
With regard to the Master Plan, Walker’s main goal is implementing a system that is easily expandable to accommodate a larger building.
“We want to be able to continue with signage that will blend right in. It needs to communicate what it needs to, and it needs to be simple and consistent,” Walker said.
Roberts hopes to maintain this consistency through a style guide which he is preparing to release. The guide will outline a cohesive format for all school publications and signage.
“The style guide comes from [the] best practices that I’ve seen at other schools, at other colleges, and in the corporate world, and those best practices help you to identify a brand with a certain feeling and emotion,” Roberts said.
“The signage adds a more professional look. It speaks to excellence. That’s what it does,” Walker said.
Joey Hoff can be reached for comment at [email protected].