Making Waves with a Visual Symphony

Introducing the Refreshed Brand of Tabor Academy: A Beacon of Stability, Guidance, and Connection

In a world that’s constantly evolving, Tabor Academy stands firm as a beacon of stability, guidance, and connection for its students. With the aim of providing a more dynamic and versatile representation of our institution, Tabor is excited to unveil its refreshed brand, which includes an all-new school logo, while retaining its cherished School Seal and beloved Sammy the Seawolf mascot. (Learn more about these three symbols of Tabor, and how they are all used, here.)

Why a New Logo?

Change is essential to growth, and Tabor recognized the need for a brand transformation to better resonate with its diverse community and global outlook. The previous brand, though steeped in tradition, faced inconsistencies and limitations that needed addressing. The refreshed brand now offers a seamless integration between the formal, athletic, and spirited facets of Tabor’s identity.

“We took this project seriously and conducted research that spanned the course of two years,” says Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications Stacy Jagodowski. “We also involved two firms in this project, Edwards, Co., which helped us with the messaging components and understanding our reputation, and Metric Marketing, partnering with Edwards, worked on our visual identity.”

According to Jagodowski, it was an in-depth project that involved multiple committees, surveys, and focus-groups that involved all aspects of the Tabor community, ranging from prospective families to current students and families, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, and friends of Tabor. “We went through several rounds of research, designs, and edits before arriving at the final logo and refreshed brand,” she shares.

The new logo and refreshed brand was approved by the Board of Trustees in winter 2023 and first shared with the full student body in Spring 2023. “Throughout the summer, we hosted two webinars where we walked parents and alumni through the process of how we arrived at the final logo,” she adds. However, Tabor didn’t officially share the new logo until the Opening of School in September. “We wanted that to be the official launch of the new brand,” she explains.

“The final design is versatile and made to be deconstructable,” says Deb Cohen, Tabor’s Graphic Designer and Brand Manager, who was an integral part of the brand refresh. “This makes it ideal for marketing, promotional materials, and swag. We have a lot of flexibility in how we can use it, and that’s exciting.”

“We’ve also expanded the final color palette from two main colors to three,” adds Cohen. “Tabor Red remains, but we’ve added two shades of blue, with deep midnight blue replacing black.” Cohen explains that black was never an official school color, rather it was part of the athletics brand color palette only. “We essentially had two different color palettes for Tabor, making our materials and our look inconsistent.” With this new addition, athletics will transition from black to midnight blue, and become part of one cohesive Tabor brand.

School Seal & Sammy the Seawolf

The School Seal, a venerable mark of Tabor’s heritage, has been elevated to a formal-use capacity. This signifies the school’s commitment to its distinguished past while embracing modernity. “The Seal is meant to be a formal mark, and we’re reserving it for such use cases,” says Jagodowski. “It’s not going away, rather it’s being elevated to ceremonial uses and special cases.”

Sammy the Seawolf, Tabor’s spirited mascot, has also received a facelift. Rendered in the new midnight blue hue, Sammy now embodies the essence of the School by the Sea’s refreshing brand identity.

Brand-New Website: A Refreshing Wave of Change

On the heels of Tabor’s refreshed branding, the School by the Sea has launched another major marketing initiative. “We are thrilled to unveil the fresh look of Tabor’s brand with our newly redesigned website,” shares Jagodowski. “As we kick off a new school year, our revamped online presence reflects our commitment to embracing change while staying true to the spirit of Tabor.”

The new website is filled with compelling content that highlights Tabor’s rich history, vibrant present, and promising future. Designed with prospective families in mind, the site lets users explore the community, catch up on the latest news and events, and get to know our outstanding faculty, students, and alumni. With a nod to Tabor’s waterfront location on the picturesque shores of Sippican Harbor, the website beautifully captures Tabor’s waterfront spirit, providing a glimpse into the extraordinary experiences that await the students.

“While we have modernized our look and feel, we remain dedicated to our core values,” says Lindsey McColl, Assistant Director of Digital Marketing. “The redesigned site reflects this; we’ve highlighted our signature programs by putting them front and center on the Brand-New Website: A Refreshing Wave of Change homepage and really emphasized the importance of our vibrant student community. With a sleeker design, more intuitive navigation, and an enhanced language translation tool, our website makes it easier than ever for families to discover the Tabor way of learning.”

Visit www.taboracademy.org now and immerse yourself in the renewed Tabor experience. We look forward to welcoming you into our community and sharing the beauty of our seaside school.

Here’s to a new chapter of excellence, exploration, and endless possibilities at Tabor!