Re-brand
Chicago School of Musical Arts
Account Manager
Brittney Mason
Key Team Members
Logan Acton
A growing music education nonprofit needed a brand and website that reflected their professionalism and community impact.
Situation
Chicago School of Musical Arts (ChicagoSMA) is a Chicago-based organization focused on extracurricular education and music classes. After five years of growth, new markets, and shifting services, they needed a brand that matched their momentum–and one they could actually use. They had outgrown their startup look. A one-color logo and scattered visuals weren’t cutting it anymore. They wanted to look as professional as they already were.
We conducted a focused brand audit and developed a new visual identity grounded in flexibility, warmth, and mission alignment.
Findings
We discovered specific opportunities for change through preliminary conversations and a quick brand audit, including:
- A strong mission coupled with a scattered visual identity
- DIY design habits that didn’t scale
- Great community reputation, but a lack of brand recall
- A logo that worked–but barely
- Internal tools (like slide decks and emails) that lacked personal energy
The ChicagoSMA team chose to expand our partnership, bringing us on to rebuild the website and create practical tools for day-to-day use.
Solutions
We kept what works–and elevated everything else. Over a 2 month development period we:
- Expanded the color palette to be bold, warm, and energizing
- Introduced a brand-new type system for flexibility and polish
- Refreshed the existing logo while keeping the recognizable music note
- Built a toolkit of assets for real-life use, including decks, signage, social graphics, and more
- Refreshed their website to match the evolved brand
Over a two-month period, we delivered a refreshed brand system that energized the staff and created a cohesive experience across digital and print.
Considerations
- We made tools actually usable for a lean team with limited time
- We respected the existing name equity and community recognition
- We prioritized materials which directly impact enrollment and partnership outreach
“Thanks to 1909 Digital, our new brand identity is not only visually stunning but also strategically aligned with our goals. Their attention to detail, responsiveness, and ability to bring our ideas to life exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend 1909 Digital to any organization looking for a seamless and impactful rebranding experience!”
— Chicago School of Musical Arts
Wins
- A fresh visual identity which shows who they are today
- Clean, flexible brand assets their whole team can use confidently
- A website which works hard and looks good doing it
- A unified experience across digital and print materials
- Staff feels “re-energized and proud” to share brand materials
- Brand is cohesive and marketable for school partners
- ChicagoSMA has added more than 15 additional schools and programming to their roster