Jewish Day School of Seattle | Philadelphia, PA
“I’m constantly amazed by our students’ ability to not only work independently, but to think for themselves and initiate inquiry. By the time they’re in Middle School, JDS students are self-directed in quite an impressive way.”
–FACULTY MEMBER
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Inquire deeply…Engage joyously is both the tagline and the overarching concept of the JDS program. As the JDS community explained, finding the greatest joy in the most difficult challenges is a longstanding Jewish value, and this phrase points to that ancient philosophy while evoking the lived experience at today’s JDS. While many Seattle-area schools offer an inquiry-based academic curriculum, the distinctively Jewish JDS education grounds that process in a millennia-old culture. As the tagline suggests, at JDS, inquiry-based learning is not just a trend—it’s a tradition.
For this program, our C+P team created a series of positioning statements referring to key aspects of the JDS education, including the academic and Jewish Studies curricula, community, leadership and service, identity formation, and outcomes. Rendered as typographic illustrations, the statements (shown above, in rotation) appear as lead-ins for digital and printed marketing pieces and around campus as posters. The bold, unusual, and colorful designs transform these inspirational statements into works of art.
The JDS website is as exuberant and engaging as the community itself. Colorful positioning statements frame each section of the home page, catching the viewer’s attention and inviting them to explore further. See the full site here.
“I cannot express enough gratitude for the remarkable work of Crane + Peters. Our entire community feels renewed pride and purpose! I wholeheartedly recommend them to any organization seeking a thorough analysis to help them identify their uniqueness and stand out in a competitive market.”
–Wendy Leberman, former Director of Admission and Marketing
overview of our partnership
1. DISCOVERY + ANALYSIS
We began our engagement with a thorough review of the existing JDS communications materials, with particular attention to how well they spoke to the school’s current and prospective audiences. Our team then visited the campus, observing classes, services, and community celebrations. We conducted focus groups and interviews in person and via Zoom, carefully listening to the wide range of diverse voices that the school welcomes. And we began to hear, within that vibrant variety, strong and consistent emerging themes.
2. Insights + implications
In a report shared with the JDS leadership team and board, we documented the initial findings from our research, including a list of emerging themes. We workshopped the report and the emerging themes with the school’s leadership, ensuring agreement and buy-in on foundational ideas before moving into the creative conceptual phase of our partnership.
3. BRANDING + MARKETING
To communicate the joyful challenge of the JDS educational experience to the school’s prospective mission-aligned families, we developed a suite of print and online materials to attract, recruit, and retain Seattle-area families—Jewish and non-Jewish—seeking the specific education that only JDS offers. A two-day photoshoot, planned and art-directed by our team’s graphic designer, infused the new materials with kinetic photography that beautifully enlivens the JDS story.
4. ROLLOUT + SUPPORT
As part of the new brand launch, C+P partnered with a web firm to re-imagine and program the new JDS website. We offered general recommendations for introducing the new program to various constituencies and ensuring their buy-in. We also provided a detailed brand guide to guide the school’s use of messaging and graphics going forward.
