St. John Paul II Academy (JPII) is an independent Catholic K-12 school in south midtown Omaha. Founded in spring of 2023 to launch in August, I was tasked with establishing a legitimate brand that captured the vigor and vitality of this unique community.

The identity is centered around a crest I created, packed with symbolism but modern in style.

Peer schools across the classical/liberal arts landscape have a certain style. JPII is unique because we embrace modernity instead of revile it. The challenge, then, was to communicate a fresh and inviting approach to an ancient tradition

Brand strategy and identity elements

It might seem funny for a school in the Nebraska flatlands, but mountaineering is key to the ethos of JPII. The school’s patrons, Pope John Paul II and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, famously loved the mountains. The school’s motto is Italian: Verso l’alto! To the heights! Students take expeditions into the wildlands as rites of passage. Among its peers, JPII is unique in its emphasis on ruggedness, grit and literally rising to a challenge.

Thus, the brand identity is based on the idea of the school as a trailhead: the entry point to a lifelong ascent. With the help of guides and mentors (both living teachers standing in the classroom and the long-dead heroes of our civilization), each student must complete their own climb — a journey that goes on and on, beyond graduation day.

If you’ve gone hiking in the mountains, you’ve seen stacks of stones along the wayside. These are called cairns. They’re little guideposts or markers left by prior travelers, to mark the way toward the summit.

I developed a visual identity that uses a series of diamonds as a simplistic representation of stones stacked on top of each other. In some uses they are connected by a thin stroke, representing waypoints on the student's lifelong journey. A classical education is a sustained encounter with the best that civilization has ever thought, discovered or written: these are our guideposts, left by prior travelers, on man’s search for the truth.

Results

The brand identity and materials you designed not only look great but have also helped us attract new families and communicate our mission with clarity and confidence.
—Tim, Board Treasurer

In working on a daily basis with new prospective families that have visited the website Patrick designed, I frequently hear compliments and how the content was so attractive to them. It helped them understand the mission of the school and desire that for their children. It has had a direct impact on attracting new families - we are already at a 25% increase in enrollment for next chool year. I can't say enough about the talent and professionalism that Patrick brings to the table.
—Cathy, Assistant Headmaster