WEDU PBS Education Rebrand
In 2023 at WEDU PBS, I had the opportunity to implement and expand upon the new national PBS KIDS rebrand, bringing it to life locally through a full co-branding rollout with WEDU PBS. It was an exciting chance to blend a beloved national brand with the heart of WEDU’s local educational mission.
Community outreach is important to WEDU PBS. One goal of the rebrand campaign was to support this outreach and expansion of the brand visually, and really show event attendees what WEDU PBS and PBS KIDS are all about. To achieve this, I created custom tablecloths, pull-up banners, signage for events and workshops, branded swag and giveaways, and big photo backdrops—everything needed to make the brand shine at family and education events.
Signage to promote WEDU Education programs
To assist in this community outreach focus and attract potential Community Partners and Sponsors at workshops and events, I created informative, interchangeable signage. Each movable foamcore square promotes a service or resource from PBS KIDS and WEDU PBS. I utilized a combination of rebrand illustrations and photographs of donors from WEDU events and programs, along with the intensely bright colors of the rebrand style guide.
Physical assets
Retractable banners
The illustrations and characters provided in the national PBS KIDS rebrand are very diverse and colorful. I took advantage of that to design these retractable banners for events and presentations.
Backdrops and tablecloths
I designed cobranded backdrops and tablecloths in different colors from the rebrand palette. They’re always a hit at events!
Comprehensive system of info sheets
Working closely with the Education Team at WEDU PBS, I helped create a new visual system that tied everything together, from materials for kids and parents to resources for teachers and community partners. I designed a full set of tiered informational “one-sheets” that highlight WEDU’s many different educational programs and initiatives in a clear, engaging way. I used the new color palette from the rebrand, along with consistent refreshed styling, to maintain unity across the different sheets, despite all the programs & resources having their own logos, titles, and target audiences. I designed the set as a whole and individually, so that sheets can be added or removed according to which ones are relevant to the intended recipient.
Illustrated folders
To house these info sheets for distribution to parents & caregivers, for teachers & educators, and for potential community partners & sponsors, I designed a custom folder utilizing the illustrative characters provided as part of the national rebrand package. The folder is the same for all three sets of info sheets/for all audiences. This folder is displaying the “Parent/caregiver” set of info sheets.
Program postcards
In addition to the detailed informational sheets, the Education Director wanted smaller, more concise postcard-type handouts to briefly explain a few of the different initiatives from PBS KIDS and WEDU PBS.
Of particular note is the “Youth Media Challenge” card, which utilizes branding I created specifically for WEDU PBS’ participation in a small program started by KQED, which at the time, had no branding.
Digital assets
On the digital side of things, I collaborated closely with the WEDU PBS web designer and a consulting firm to audit and completely redesign the WEDU PBS Education website. We focused on accessibility, visual flow, and intuitive organization to make it easier for families and educators to find the resources they need. We reviewed the old, very outdated WEDU Kids site and reworked how all the information is organized, and I then made graphics for all the different pages. I created mockups of each page on the site, and worked with the web designer to bring my vision to life. And because WEDU PBS serves a huge number of Spanish-speaking people, we created a new webpage to collect all of the Spanish-language assets and resources available from PBS KIDS in one convenient place for parents and teachers.
Collaboration
Throughout the project, I worked directly with the PBS KIDS national brand manager, with whose help we secured a grant to fund the whole local rebrand, making it possible to fully realize the vision across all platforms. Coincidentally, the PBS KIDS brand manager is from the Tampa area and used to work for WEDU PBS too, so it was fun to get to work with her using her national creative work.
This extensive rebrand project was a challenging and exciting balance of creative design, collaboration, and community impact, and I enjoyed bringing a refreshed, accessible, and joyful PBS KIDS brand experience to life for the families and educators who rely on WEDU PBS every day.