Rockford Christian Schools, founded in 1961, grew from a private kindergarten school to a robust three-campus college prep organization offering elementary, middle and high school education. In addition to teaching students how to learn, priority is placed on Christian values such as respect, kindness and honesty. Rockford Christian approached Chartwell Agency as it embarked on a major expansion to add a 200-room residence hall on campus, a student recreation center and a fine-arts building.
Solution
As a college preparatory institution, Rockford Christian knew it needed to recruit like an institution of higher education. Officials approached Chartwell to leverage the power of a viewbook to help tell its story. As the foundational piece for all recruitment collateral, the viewbook drives the look, feel, stories and point of view carried through the rest of the admissions pieces. It paints a clear picture of what life is like for a Rockford Christian student and shows the “heart” of the institution and its brand promise.
Outcome
Chartwell created the “Where World-Class Education Meets Hometown Heart” theme and subsequently developed content around it. Understanding that the viewbook would be used to recruit national and international students and families, focus was placed on a strong visual presentation with colorful photos and pertinent graphics/numbers (ACT scores, scholarship dollars, etc.) to easily communicate Rockford Christian’s story to different audiences
The Creative Concept
Rockford Christian places great emphasis on academics and helping students build their community outside the classroom. The viewbook’s cover shows real students in their everyday school uniforms, while the back page shows the same students representing a variety of extracurriculars – from music to sports to robotics. Chartwell developed this concept and worked with Rockford Christian to execute the look with new photos as well as updated images throughout the book.
