Design delivers transformation

When Michigan’s Paw Paw Public Schools decided to retire their Native American “Redskins” mascot after years of controversy, Studio One in Michigan brought us in partnership to create the schools’ re-brand to the “Red Wolves” – all in the midst of a more important challenge – educating students, staff, and community through a pandemic.

​

After working through an extensive collaborative process with the school board, faculty, staff and students, our team developed a new look and feel with a strong and formidable figure that imbued intelligence and cunning relentlessness, without being scary. Then the push came to create a brand style guide with versions suitable for elementary, middle and high school students. We delivered. PPSD received a comprehensive guide with multiple manifestations of the mascot to meet the needs of athletic teams, school clubs, and academic programs.

​

Not only did our work attract the attention of media nationwide (including The Detroit Free Press and The Wall Street Journal), our efforts helped secure a $216,000 grant from the Native American Heritage Fund to underwrite the costs of the naming transition, which included our fees.

​

Most importantly, the faculty, staff and students of Paw Paw Public Schools have moved through the COVID-19-frought year in education knowing that they were united as a “proud pack.”