The Customer
Watford Partnership for Teacher Training is a brand-new partnership of 11 local secondary schools.
Supported by the University of Hertfordshire, they are looking to develop, train and inspire the next generation of teachers; specifically career changers and university leavers.
The partnership was looking for a provider who would not only develop an encompassing and personal brand identity, but who would also create an attractive modern website to help them publicise their teaching training and continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities.
The Brief
Watford Partnership required a new brand identity which would connect and unify the 11 schools and offer a cohesive approach to their marketing materials as well as providing the basis for the new website design.
The website needed to be engaging and highly functional with clear call to actions that would encourage visitors to apply for teacher training – offering all the information a potential candidate would need, in one easy to find location.
As a newly formed organisation, they wanted the initial impression to be a powerful one that really drew the eye and commanded attention.
We are a brand-new partnership of schools moving away from the old teaching school alliance model. We wanted a website that would not only market to new applicants but also provide information for our existing staff – allowing them to see key dates and access a secure area for presentations and previously attended course details.
Adam Baker, Watford Partnership Project Lead & Assistant Head of Parmiter’s School
The Project Goals
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Create a meaningful logo and brand that could be translated across other materials
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Encourage applications from career changes and university leavers
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Offer additional CPD support to existing stakeholders
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Showcase the breadth of schools within the partnership
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Showcase the breadth of schools within the partnership
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Promote the application process and provided dedicated information
We had worked with e4education before on our school website and knew that they had the experience and innovation to help us create a powerful brand and amazing website design.
Adam Baker, Watford Partnership Project Lead & Assistant Head of Parmiter’s School
The Process
It all started with the branding. The designer spoke to the team at length about their ideas, before creating a selection of initial logos to meet their brief.
This quickly evolved into the final logo design which is a play on the concept of a ‘W’ for Watford created from interlinking chains (depicting the connection between the schools) and a map pointer icon that symbolises the physical location of the partnership.
The final colour selection mirrors the Watford football club palette which, upon research, takes its inspiration from the Watford crest, further solidifying the strong location element of the brand identity
The brand development was a fascinating and very interesting process. Our designer really took the time to help us create a logo which is both unique and personal to us. Through their research for the project, e4education helped us to learn more about our area and our partnership. It’s brilliant!
Adam Baker, Watford Partnership Project Lead & Assistant Head of Parmiter’s School
The Solution
The project included not only a full branding package but also the development of a new website for the newly formed partnership.
The website decision makers were numerous – coming from across all 11 schools – but they were all kept informed through weekly updates from their dedicated project coordinator.
There was no element of design improvement needed – e4education had understood our brief completely. They really ‘got us’ and what we stand for.
The whole development process was seamless and seeing the designs for the first time gave us an instant feeling of ‘this is who we are!
The bespoke website for the partnership included:
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Opening splash page for a powerful first impression
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Mixed social media stories including YouTube feed
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Prominent call to action links to increase engagement
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Testimonials and quotes to share social proof
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Slide-out burger menu
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School profiles area
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Secure area for delegates to access course materials
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Course calendar to share upcoming events
Bespoke Features
The sitemap of the website is clean and clear, with prominent call to actions for applicants to ‘apply now’ on the header and the bottom of the homepage. A dedicated application page allows candidates to view all the information they require in one easy to locate area reducing the time spent on telephone enquiries.
The school profile section gives equal weighting to each organisation in the partnership and includes contact details and a link to their website.
A mixed social media feed provides a dynamic and engaging insight into life within the partnership, pulling in feeds from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
My favourite part of the website is the splash page and homepage. I liked it as soon as I saw it! With instant movement and a powerful presence, the design draws you in and greets you with the imagery, colours and prominent CTAs. The mobile version gives you the exact same experience as well – I love it!
Adam Baker, Watford Partnership Project Lead & Assistant Head of Parmiter’s School
The Outcome
The new branding and website provide the final finishing touches on the launch of the Watford Partnership, but their journey is not over yet. They are hoping to grow their reach of outstanding, high-performing schools and are excited to see the partnership flourish.
The website will be a key part of their development and has been created with their expansion in mind, allowing it to grow and adapt as their organisation does.
The reaction has been extremely positive, internally and externally, and the dynamic, modern take on their website is definitely seen as a success!
Seeing the logo come together and the website go from a set of static designs with placeholders to a functional working website was incredible. They were the highlights of the project for me and I’m so proud of our new look. A few months ago we had nothing and now we have something amazing!
Adam Baker, Watford Partnership Project Lead & Assistant Head of Parmiter’s School