Hipster logo and branding for new online alternative high school.

Eclipse Academy

Eclipse Academy is the first school of its kind: students and teachers connect online, one-to-one, in real time, using Skype or similar video-conferencing software — yet students learn by doing real-world projects in their own communities, strengthening their relationships and clarifying their values. Despite meeting online, the mentoring relationship between the student and teacher is key. Serving students in grades 6 to 12, Eclipse fully customizes each course for each student, as they learn the academic and life skills needed to thrive.

Our students are hip and sophisticated, playful and creative — between the ages of 12 - 18, with most of our students in high school. Our students are often involved in the arts — painting, graphic design, music, dance — and yet they may also pursue high-level math or science courses. But before Eclipse Academy, they hated school, and often felt disenfranchised or overlooked in more traditional “big classroom” school environments. Some students are gifted and work ahead, while others are falling behind in school and need extra help. What they all have in common is that the traditional school system wasn’t working for them, and they were being left out. They needed a fresh, progressive, modern school alternative like Eclipse Academy — innovative like a startup, yet a fully accredited school — where learning is customized for them, where their voice matters, and where they can follow their dreams.

Eclipse Academy has a curriculum that’s relevant and fun, and hip with the times. One of our teachers has purple hair, and we have multiple guitarists on staff although only one is a music teacher. Our Head of School is also a radio DJ and competitive modern dancer. We take our jobs seriously, and serve our students exceptionally well, yet we live our own lives and have a ton of fun in the process.

While our school’s marketing website must seem modern and “cool” to teens, it must also appeal to parents concerned with academic rigor, prestige, and college acceptance. It’s a balance between our school’s playful and whimsical personality, and the seriousness of academic achievement and personal growth.

This is the site of our main competitor, which is more corporate than what we’re looking for — we will be the smart indie alternative to this: https://www.fusionacademy.com/

We prefer green-undertoned aquas / teals, along with a lime green, as our main two colors. We also like vintage-kitchen mint green, and jewel tones or neon — accents in purple are nice. We avoid primary colors that seem too “elementary school” as we’re appealing to older teens (and their hip parents). Online and on print marketing materials, the logo will usually be set against a white or light-aqua background.

By default, please use aqua-teal and lime green (or something similar) as the two main colors within the logo — and I love when there’s a color gradient that gradually changes throughout an image. But again I’m open to your creative direction, just nothing too blue or “tech company” looking.

Here’s a great teal color, or something similar: HEX 26C6DA
And a great lime green, or something similar: HEX 8BC34A

Here’s a fun (optional) purple, as an accent color as needed: HEX 7E57C2

And a fun (optional) minty green that could complement or replace the above-listed teal and / or lime green: HEX C5E1A5

Here’s a good red-orange color, to pop as an accent — not required, but optional: HEX FF5722

And a dark, neutral greenish-grey, again for (optional) accent: HEX 546E7A

Or whatever colors you think we’d like! We could easily be swayed more neon. Just no pure primary colors. Also the main color should not be purple.

So far, I’ve given the feedback to designers that colors are too blue, and should be more in the teal or blue-green family.

As our school is called “Eclipse Academy,” it would be cool to incorporate eclipse imagery into the logo — either solar eclipse or lunar, perhaps with a slightly witchy vibe in an upbeat Coachella-ish hipster way, but *not* in a goth way.

We’re going for a balance of hip and funky, and sophisticated — we’ll have a minimalistic yet vibrant and modern website design, with jewel or neon colors, purples and aquas, with rich and creative visual imagery, and several hand-drawn (looking) illustrations of core program concepts, such as “happy students and teachers,” or “student getting diploma,” at least initially instead of stock photos. Our site will also feature some professional photos, on the staff page — mostly studio headshots of school staff, alongside bios, and a few candid shots of a staff meeting being facilitated outdoors.

Of the logos I selected here as reference, I most prefer the “Hippie Luxe” and “Meikki” logos — due both to the jewel-tone colors, and the hip water-color-ish aesthetic, paired with a clean sans-serif font. The “Neon Sheep” and “Freshest Fridge” logos also seem relevant, hip and fun, yet elegant.

So far, I’ve given the feedback that submitted logos seem to “tech company” and less “design firm,” which is more what we’re going for. Artsy and cutting-edge, yet with a clear easy-to-read font.

We’re also open to your own creativity and any ideas you can think of!