Objectives:
- Develop a brand identity that reflects the vibrant and inspiring nature of the music school.
- Preserve the historic elements of the building while infusing it with a modern, educational spirit.
- Enhance the visibility and appeal of the music school within the Nantucket community and beyond.
Strategy:
1. Brand Positioning:
- Positioned NCMC as a modern, inspiring educational institution rooted in a rich historical context.
- Emphasized the school’s commitment to community, education, and artistic exploration.
2. Interior and Exterior Signage:
- Designed a logo that reflects the harmony of traditional and modern elements.
- Utilized a color palette and design elements that symbolize the vibrancy and creativity of the music school.
- Interior wayfinding could be a bit more modern, and employed die-cut lacquered metal plates along with ADA compliant brail. Exterior was more conservative, complying with Nantucket’s rigid standards for street level conformity.
3. Marketing Collateral:
- Developed marketing materials, including brochures, posters, and digital assets.
- Ensured all materials highlighted the unique blend of historical and modern elements of the school.
Execution:
Laura Sauter, with over 30 years of branding expertise, led the project. The team focused on creating a vibrant and distinctive brand that would resonate with the local community and help NCMC stand out as a premier music education institution.
Results:
- Increased Brand Recognition: The unique and harmonious brand identity helped NCMC stand out in the Nantucket community.
- Client Engagement: The inspiring and professional brand image attracted a steady flow of new students and community members.
- Growth: Within the first year, NCMC experienced significant growth, establishing a strong student base and community presence.
Conclusion:
Nantucket Community Music Center’s branding project successfully highlighted the school’s unique position in the market. By embracing a vibrant and community-focused identity, NCMC was able to differentiate itself from competitors and build a strong, recognizable brand.
If ever there were a music school that made you want to break out in song, this is it. After three years of planning and construction, the new Nantucket Community Music Center at 56 Center Street is simply exhilarating. Belying its traditional Federal-style facade, built in 1843 by whale oil merchant Harrison Gray Otis Dunham, the interior achieves perfect harmony in the use of colors, textures, and lighting.
Conceived by Wendy Schmidt, with an interior design by Kathleen Hay and Joe Paul of BPC Architecture, this is not your fatherís music school. The space was designed as much to inspire as it is to teach, and succeeds on so many levels that it is hard to single out a specific highlight of the building.
Ms Schmidt and her ReMain Nantucket foundation, envisioned this building to be part of a larger Nantucket “campus.” The physical location of 56 Center Street and its inherent beauty reminded Wendy of the campus buildings at Smith College where she completed her undergraduate studies. There, the stately homes from the 19thCentury have been transformed into dorms and classrooms, and the campus has a residential scale much like Nantucket’s downtown. Wendy charged the design team with repurposing and infusing the historic building with a new sense of life. Wendy loves not only music but learning of all kinds, and felt that the educational experience should be enhanced by beautiful spaces, serving to remind those using the building that what they are learning is valued and important.
