CREATIVE DIRECTION + BRAND DESIGN
Notre Dame High School
Brand identity for an all-girls high school.
St. Louis has one of the most competitive high school landscapes in the country, with dozens of private, parochial and independent schools competing for students. Notre Dame was one of them.
A private, all-girls Catholic high school with a close-knit community and a big story to tell, Notre Dame needed a clearer identity and system to stand out.
I walked in as the fifth Marketing Director in five years, tasked with defining and strengthening the Notre Dame brand while managing the day-to-day marketing and communications for the entire school, from admissions and social to publications, events, athletics and fundraising.
Creative Direction / Brand Strategy / Brand Identity / Graphic Design / Campaign Development / Social Media / Digital / Print / Events
BUILDING THE BRAND
Find the thread. Build from there.
Notre Dame already had a strong mission, decades of history and a recognizable crest. What it didn't have was a clear visual system connecting one piece to the next.
So I audited the creative that had accumulated over the years, looking for what felt distinctly Notre Dame, what people naturally responded to and what was worth carrying forward.
From there, I developed a foundation built around bold typography, expressive student photography and a signature blue palette.
The goal wasn't to start over. It was to find brand equity and build from there.
PUTTING IT TO WORK
Unmistakably Notre Dame.
Building the brand was only half the job. I also had to make it work for the people using it.
I worked across departments to build an understanding of why consistency mattered, then created a flexible system of brand assets, organized templates and tools they could actually use.
The goal wasn't to make everything look the same. It was to give people room to create while making sure everything still felt like Notre Dame.
Admissions could be energetic. Alumnae could feel warm and timeless. Student life could be spontaneous and joyful. Different voices. One recognizable brand.
ADMISSIONS
Step Right Up and See All You’re Meant to Be.
Admissions created a new recruitment theme each year. This time, the direction was circus, but not carnival.
I developed the creative direction by pulling from the whimsy of Wonderland, the glamour of The Life of a Showgirl and the spectacle of The Greatest Showman to create a world that felt theatrical, playful and full of possibility.
The campaign came to life across the admissions brochure, events, social, digital content, signage and recruitment materials.
IMPACT
A more defined Notre Dame.
One piece didn't change the brand. Hundreds of consistent, intentional actions did. Every social post, publication, event and campaign built on the one before it, making Notre Dame easier to recognize and more familiar over time.
The impact became visible. Notre Dame’s Instagram generated 500K+ views during fall 2025, an Open House invitation reached 85K+ views, and the incoming class was the largest in more than a decade. Event participation and fundraising grew, too.
Consistency built recognition. Recognition created familiarity. And familiarity built trust.
