The Idaho Department of Education has a new look — a fresh logo and visual style to accompany State Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield’s first term.
The logo features an outline of the state, an open book and sun rays haloed by the department’s title. The book and “gleam” represent the “learning and promise that come from an Idaho public education,” said Scott Graf, communications director for the department. The new logo replaces a more than 50-year-old emblem.
“The department’s previous logo appears to have been in use since 1972,” Graf said by email. “Based on the change in administration and the new leadership and vision it represents, the time was right to update the logo and modernize and professionalize the department’s overall branding.”
Critchfield, a Republican, was elected last year.
Stoltz Marketing Group won a bid for the branding project. The Boise-based firm has provided similar services to private customers, such as Tamarack Resort and Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls, as well as public agencies, like the University of Idaho, the Boise School District and Valley Regional Transit.
The Department of Education paid the group $48,298.21. According to statements of work provided to Idaho Education News, that paid for:
- A new logo, visuals and messages along with a style guide — $25,000
- Brand templates for business cards, letterhead and digital communication (email, PowerPoint, social media) — $10,000
- Monthly account and project management — $9,000
- Research and discovery to better understand the department’s goals, consumers, brand perception and market insight — $5,000
The department budgeted roughly $63,000 for the project but ultimately spent nearly $15,000 less than that, in part because a proposed redesign of the department’s website, estimated to cost about $10,000, did not take place.
Education department officials “determined that the scope of that work was not going to improve the site’s functionality to the degree that we had hoped,” Graf said.
Last year, the Boise School District paid Stoltz $200,000 for a new logo and marketing campaign. Ada County Highway District also solicited a similar redesign last year, the Idaho Statesman reported. ACHD paid North Star Place Branding $80,000 for that project.
