About

Albany Academy Branding Update

A Branding System for our Unified Campus

In 2024, Albany Academy completed a significant realignment, integrating The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls into one cohesive institution while maintaining essential elements of our single-sex traditions. To accomplish this, the school is now organized according to developmental stages, positioning the Lower and Middle Schools on one campus and the Upper School on the other.

As part of this realignment, the school developed a brand strategy to communicate its values, mission, and promise to prospective families more effectively. This strategy includes a unified identity system that reflects the school’s current structure while honoring its rich history and traditions.

To guide this process, the Board of Trustees formed a Branding & Identity Subcommittee. This subcommittee, which included alumni, alumnae, students, parents, faculty, and staff, was tasked with developing essential marketing messages, a consistent naming convention, and a cohesive visual identity.

With the help of a branding expert and graphic designer, the subcommittee conducted an in-depth analysis of the school’s archives and stakeholder feedback. Through several rounds of refinement, the group developed a final visual system that now guides the school's marketing efforts.

Critical Elements of the New Branding

A Simplified Naming Convention. The school will now use "Albany Academy" in its marketing efforts. Research revealed that this is the name most commonly used by current stakeholders and most familiar to prospective families. An analysis of web searches showed that 85% of users searched using “Albany Academy,” highlighting the need for a more straightforward and recognizable name.

Refined Academic Seals. The school’s academic seals were previously used as its logo, diluting their formal purpose. Moving forward, the seals will be reserved for official academic and historical uses, such as diplomas and alumni and alumnae communications. These seals have been refined to create a more cohesive visual identity.

A New Logo. A new logo was designed to represent the school’s unified identity while respecting its history. The logo features a classic column, symbolizing the original Albany Academy for Girls building, combined with the iconic fish and pumpkin elements of the Albany Academy campus. Topped with a tulip—a nod to Albany’s Dutch roots—the logo conveys that the school is a unified institution woven into the forever fabric of Albany.

FAQs

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

Q. What was the scope of the Albany Academy brand project?

The following components were included in the scope of our brand project: core messaging, tone & voice, new logo, revisions to seals, color palette, photography guidance, brand standards guide, core templates.

Athletic mascots and uniforms were not included in the brand scope and will be determined in the future.
Q. How did we decide to call the school Albany Academy?

While we initially considered continuing to use The Albany Academies as our marketing name, feedback throughout the community highlighted that many stakeholders and outside community members simply refer to the school as “Albany Academy” or “Academy.”

We embarked on a naming audit and reviewed the top 1,000 search queries from April 29, 2023-August 28, 2024 to better understand what families may be searching for. In reviewing the data, we found 139 searches using a form of “academy” or “academies.” Of those searches, 85% used “academy” vs only 15% used “academies.”

Based on this data and feedback, one singular name best represents one school and therefore we will embrace “Albany Academy.”
Q. How will the brand roll-out?

The new branding will be rolled out in phases, beginning with updates to the school’s digital platforms in October 2024. Students and faculty can also look forward to new branded items in the school store. Over time, the brand strategy will be integrated across all school assets as updates are needed.

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Branding Assests

Utilizing Albany Academy branding assets consistently enhances the brand and supports the goal of promoting our school. To assist with this, the Office of Marketing & Communications offers branding guidelines and templates for our internal stakeholders.