Making Waves with a New Logo

September 1, 2023

With the start of the 2023-2024 school year, just two years ahead of our Sesquicentennial anniversary, Tabor is excited to unveil refreshed branding for the School by the Sea. We have, of course, retained our beloved Seal, which is now elevated to a formal and ceremonial status, adding a special touch to its usage at events, like Commencement. And now, after working with our community—students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, parents, and friends—we have added a new mark to our brand toolkit, complementing the Seal and our mascot, Sammy the Seawolf.  With the aim of providing a more dynamic and versatile representation of our institution, the School by the Sea now has a new look.

Why an Additional Logo?

Tabor values tradition and values the beloved School Seal. By nature of the design, the Seal honors the history of the school, and at the same time, Tabor recognizes that change is essential to growth. While the Seal looks backward, there was a need for a brand transformation to look forward, to better resonate with Tabor's diverse community and global outlook. The previous brand, though steeped in tradition, also faced inconsistencies and limitations that needed addressing. You can learn more about these challenges in our webinar from the summer. Thanks to a new addition to our logo line-up, the newly 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, which partnered with Edwards, and 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. "We wanted to represent the entire community and have as many voices as possible engage in the process."

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, just before they departed for the summer. “Throughout the summer, Tabor hosted two webinars in which 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." Cohen also points out that the brand now leans into the school's tagline of School by the Sea and All-A-Taut-O, noting that the community will see more of these iconic sayings moving forward.

“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 the deep midnight blue (dark navy with a touch of green) 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 across the board.” With the addition of midnight blue, athletics will transition from black to midnight blue, and become part of one cohesive Tabor brand.  

Elevating the School Seal & Updating 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, such as Commencement and even some special edition swag.”

Sammy the Seawolf, Tabor's spirited and fearless mascot, has also received a facelift. Rendered in a new midnight blue hue, Sammy now embodies the essence of the School by the Sea’s refreshing brand identity. To cater to various applications, three distinct Sammy logos have been introduced, each capturing the Seawolf in different dynamic poses.

A Glimpse into the Refreshed Brand Message

All-A-Taut-O: Make Waves in the World.

This rallying cry encapsulates the Tabor experience. "All-A-Taut-O," an expression from the world of sailing, perfectly captures the synergy between the school’s maritime heritage and its ambition to propel students towards making waves in the world. The seas may be unpredictable, but with Tabor's guidance, students can navigate their own course with confidence.

From here, you can go anywhere. 

Tabor Academy is not just a school; it's a launchpad for future leaders and explorers. With the refreshed brand, Tabor reinforces its commitment to helping students discover their potential and chart their own paths. Whether it's the unique location, the exceptional guidance, or the strong sense of community, Tabor Academy provides the tools for self-discovery and growth.

The New Logo Components: A Visual Symphony

The new school logo components are carefully crafted to resonate with Tabor's core values:

The Ocean: A timeless symbol of challenges and opportunities, the ocean signifies Tabor's unique location and its commitment to nurturing students who rise above challenges.

The North Star: An unchanging point in the night sky, the North Star serves as a guiding light, symbolizing the stability and direction that Tabor provides its students.

Colors: Hues of blue evoke the sea and sky, fostering calmness and openness. Tabor Red, a bold touch, underscores the institution's strength.

Bold Font: The Tabor font is bolder and more distinctive, with clever design elements like the T's flag-like overshoots and the R's wave-like terminal, symbolizing both tradition and progress. The word Tabor is also done in iconic Tabor Red, allowing the school color to be featured with or without the icon itself.

This refreshed brand identity encapsulates Tabor’s commitment to tradition, innovation, and the transformative power of education. With a new logo that mirrors its values and aspirations, Tabor is ready to empower students to make waves in the world, guided by the stability of its heritage and the strength of its future.

To get an inside look at the process that took place and rationale behind the choices that were made, check out this webinar outlining the story of our brand refresh and how we arrived at our new logo.