The Media Design Master of Fine Arts program at Full Sail University is a year-long study in which students select an organization to rebrand. I knew I wanted to work with a non-profit that had something to do with music. Ultimately, I chose Little Kids Rock as my client.
introduction
overview
Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in disadvantaged public schools.
thecompany
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In 1996, elementary school teacher, David Wish, begins offering an after-school guitar class to interested students
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Over the next few years the classes become wildly popular
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In 2002, with initial support from musical luminaries BB King and John Lee Hooker, Little Kids Rock was born
thetask
Rebrand Little Kids Rock and launch a campaign that will increase awareness and exposure of the brand, resulting in demand from the public for additional locations.
research
projectbrief
Who is this for?
Little Kids Rock is a national nonprofit organization that transforms children’s lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in disadvantaged public schools. Currently in their 11th year, they do this by partnering with school districts, training public school teachers in our innovative curriculum, and donating all of the instruments and resources necessary to run rockin’ music programs.
What are their primary services?
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Music education (during and after school)
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Instrument availability
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Concert series
What are the key tenets of the brand?
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Confidence
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Creativity
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Passion
What is the objective of the campaign?
Little Kids Rock is poised to take the next step in the journey of their brand. A rebranding of the nonprofit will provide a newly updated brand presence in the marketplace. In addition, a multimedia marketing campaign focused on increasing awareness will help further the brand’s equity while generating interest in geographic locations that the brand has not yet ventured into.
How is the brand positioned?
Little Kids Rock is the largest nonprofit of its kind. The organization has a few direct competitors, but LKR is the only one that operates on a national level. This definitely gives them a leg up on the competition as their reach is so expansive, not to mention being supported by some of the largest names in the music industry.
What is the brand’s unique selling proposition?
Little Kids Rock is the only not-for-profit organization that provides instruments and music education to children in multiple schools and cities across the United States.
Do they have a sustainable competitive advantage?
Little Kids Rock has a distinctive SCA over their competition due to the fact that their reach is much more expansive which allows them to impact the lives of children across the country.
SWOTanalysis
WEAKNESSES
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Marketing material appears dated
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Lack of locations in various areas
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Minimal exposure in untapped markets
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General public unaware of the program
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Insufficient funding/staffing
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Focused around rock/pop music which might not appeal to all kids
STRENGTHS
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Leading nonprofit provider of free instruments in the U.S.
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Programs in 25 cities nationwide
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Supported by some of the largest names in the music industry
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Backed by manufacturers/retailers like Fender and Hot Topic
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Pioneered innovative teaching methods
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Well-established and just celebrated their 10-year anniversary
OPPORTUNITIES
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Increasing academic success/self esteem among students
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Adds another option to school music programs
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Children learn discipline, hard work, and dedication
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Social interaction and bonding through music
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Positive influence on children who need something to focus on
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Adds to the community culture through concert events
THREATS
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Increase in the number of music education non-profits
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Skeptics that don’t believe in art or music education
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Decreased contributions due to a weakened economy
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Parents would rather have their children study classical or jazz music
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Shortage of instruments available to students
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Lack of interest among kids/kids who would rather play sports
creativedevelopment
moodboard
The narrative words “energy” and “emotion” are synonymous with music and music performance. Geetanjali Vaidya notes, “The tremendous ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable…”. With music being another key component that makes up the Little Kids Rock organization it is key to visually communicate the concepts of “energy” and “emotion” with the end viewer.
staticmoodboard
dynamicmoodboard
fontselection
Quark Light
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Quark Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Quark is an outstanding sans serif font. It’s very simplistic in nature yet it maintains a level of classiness similar to the Gill Sans or Future families. In an article on Mashable.com, Kelli Shaver states, “Like other page elements, fonts portray mood and emotion, just like color scheme and graphics do... these can be powerful tools when conveying feelings and attitudes to your reader.” The purpose in choosing this font is to utilize its clarity to convey the boards’ message, but also make some visual tweaks here and there to give it more “energy”.
SC Gum Kids
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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SC Gum Kids is a playful font. It is a heavier typeface that utilizes a block-style character. Catalina Naranjo-Bock notes, “it is important to choose a typeface with well-defined contours and generous space between letters, which gives a warm and inviting feeling”. While maintaining legibility even in smaller sizes, the angles and imperfections of each letter give it a fun and youthful feeling.
colorpalette
For this campaign the focus is on utilizing warmer tones based heavily in reds and oranges. Kitty Lascurain notes, “Bold shades of red, orange and yellow can stimulate the mind and have an energizing effect on the body- beneficial for growth and development...” and “Rich and highly emotive, red excites and energizes the body, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and respiration.”. The palette usage will be weighted in lighter shades, utilizing the darker tones as accents so the composition doesn’t get weighted down.
logodesign
After assessing the existing logo for Little Kids Rock it was determined that a re-imagination was in order. The current logo was relatively successful, but lacked in terms of creating an intimate connection with the target demographic.
The updated Little Kids Rock logo conveys simplicity and being youthful, yet still shows the emotion of rocking out. It also brings a more human nature to the logo by incorporating a character.
projectbook&video
campaignvideo
The Little Kids Rock campaign video is a 3 1/2 minute journey through the project book.
conclusion
Little Kids Rock has experienced steady growth over its 10-year history. They are a top-rated nonprofit organization with many big industry names behind them and are continuing to make a difference in the lives of the children who participate in the program. However, the nonprofit sector is a very challenging and competitive space to operate in and it is imperative that Little Kids Rock continues to grow the strength of their brand and presence on a national level.
Based on this research, Little Kids Rock is poised to take the next step in the journey of their brand. A rebranding of the nonprofit will provide a newly updated brand presence in the marketplace. In addition, the multimedia marketing campaign focused on increasing awareness will help further the brand’s equity while generating interest in geographic locations that the brand has not yet ventured into.
By increasing the number of participating schools, more kids across the country can be a part of the Little Kids Rock program. In addition, the strength of the brand will be further solidified by word-of-mouth.