Scholastic by Aarika Marino

ASSIGNMENT
The assignment was to choose an existing logo of an established and well-recognized company, and to update that company's identity system for a more cohesive brand experience.

SCHOOL
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ

COURSE
Visual Communications IV

INSTRUCTOR
Alfred Sanft

Approach

My goal when given this assignment was to choose a company that had been in existence for over 20 years and, in which, had not significantly updated their logo since its initial founding. I chose Scholastic because it has been in existence for 90 years, and serves a global audience. I also chose Scholastic as a result of my emotional connection to the brand. This children’s book publisher provided me with my first reading materials in 5K through my graduation in 8th grade. Scholastic book fairs were events I looked forward to, and introduced me to characters, such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus and, my all-time favorite, Harry Potter.

This rebrand was a great opportunity to consider Scholastic’s heritage, as well as their role in the future of children’s book publishing and distribution. Through my research, I discovered Scholastic is more than just a company providing a product, but an advocate for global literacy. Knowledgable of the social and business motives of Scholastic, I wanted to make the updated logo appeal to a broad audience, adults and children alike. I also wanted to ensure it would be easily applied to multiple platforms, both business and philanthropy.

Sketches and Process

Solution

An approachable logo, set in lowercase Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk. The Scholastic logo maintains its traditional red color, its identifiable mark. The logo also includes the original book symbol, which allows the logo to be cross-cultural in a global market.