Houston High School in Germantown, TN, is home to approximately 2,000 students in grades 9-12. Under the new leadership of Principal Hallie Ross, both an alumna and the daughter of a former Houston High School principal, the school partnered with Rhodes Branding to refine and realign its brand identity ahead of the 2024-25 school year.
Houston High School is a top-performing high school in Tennessee and the Germantown Municipal School District. With the appointment of Principal Hallie Ross, the school was at a pivotal moment of change ahead of the 2024-25 school year. An alumna and daughter of a former principal, Ross brought a new vision for how the school could define itself through a brand refinement initiative.
Despite its strong academics, athletic accomplishments, and renowned arts and music programs, the school’s visual identity no longer reflected the bold, vibrant, evolving community it served. Ross and the district communications team partnered with Rhodes Branding to modernize the brand, ensuring it resonated with students, staff, alumni, and the broader community while aligning with the vision for the future.
The partnership began with five virtual focus groups and a Brand Immersion Workshop, engaging key students, teachers, parents, alumni, and community members to delve into the school’s history, values, culture, and aspirations. This collaborative effort was essential in creating a brand that was both true to its roots and forward-looking.
With these insights, our creative team developed two initial visual identity concepts that embodied the bold, talented, and spirited essence of Houston High School culture. These designs were refined through a collaborative process with school leadership to ensure that the final identity was a true reflection of the school’s character.
The new visual identity package included a primary logo, secondary logos, wordmarks, an academic seal, and a redesigned Mustangs mascot logo for athletics. We also created a comprehensive Brand Style Guide, outlining guidelines for the use of logos, color schemes, typography, and other branded templates to maintain consistency across all platforms.
The team at Houston High School launched its new visual identity at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. With a refined and bold new look, Houston High School is poised to continue and amplify its legacy of educational excellence for years to come.
