The impact of the KAST rebrand was immediate: a clearer voice for the organization, renewed pride among members, and a cohesive visual identity that now matches the influence and energy of the KAST community.
As the voice of educational technology across Kentucky, the Kentucky Association for School Technology (KAST), known for its annual KySTE conference, plays a vital role in empowering digital learning across the Commonwealth. Representing educators, IT professionals, and policy influencers, KAST needed a brand refresh that could unify its voice, modernize its presence, and deepen engagement across its diverse network.
Storyline
Under the leadership of President William Pierce and Executive Director Lorena Hall, the Kentucky Society for Technology in Education (KySTE) partnered with the Rhodes Branding team to execute a comprehensive brand overhaul—from foundational research to visual rollout—ahead of their 2025 Spring conference. With over 1,800 attendees gathering for the KySTE conference and hundreds of breakout sessions, the opportunity to solidify a consistent brand experience was critical.
We began with a brand audit and conducted virtual focus groups with KAST board members and stakeholders, which revealed gaps in consistency, identity recognition, and storytelling across communication platforms. Armed with these insights, we facilitated a strategic brand development process that included:
- The introduction of a new organizational name and abbreviation—transitioning from KySTE to KAST—to better reflect the organization’s statewide mission and identity as the Kentucky Association for School Technology.
- A refreshed logo suite and a modernized identity system adaptable across digital, print, and swag formats
- A robust brand guidelines toolkit detailing logo usage, colors, typography, and visual style
- A refined messaging platform rooted in the mission of educational innovation, digital equity, and statewide leadership
- Launch graphics, video, and communications templates to promote the new identity across newsletters, presentations, and social media
- A new website wireframe designed for clarity, accessibility, and alignment with user needs, structured to streamline event registration, member outreach, and content delivery.
The rebrand officially debuted in Spring 2025, on the final day of the KySTE Spring Conference in Louisville. The impact was immediate: a clearer voice for the organization, renewed pride among members, and a cohesive visual identity that now matches the influence and energy of the KAST community.
