Challenge
HiLight, originally named KidKred, is an edtech startup with a mission to support schools in creating a culture of recognition and mutual support. Knowing that K-12 school teachers and staff members often feel isolated and underappreciated, HiLight’s platform allows them to send notes of recognition to each other that can then be redeemed for tangible, meaningful rewards. As the first recognition system built specifically for schools, HiLight needed a brand to drive awareness in the market.
Insight
During our insight-gathering process, we did a deep dive on how HiLight addresses their target audience’s pain points and needs. We found that not only does HiLight create a structured system for showing appreciation and gratitude towards individual teachers, they also provide administrators with real-time data on school performance to better foster a positive and supportive culture—which can then improve the quality of education for students. This insight became the core of our new brand.
Solution
With the idea of “project positivity” at the heart of the brand, we created a new brand name and strategy that emphasize how HiLight supports schools in creating connected communities by fostering peer-to-peer connections and offering tangible rewards for teachers and staff. This strategy was paired with a visual identity that uses colorful, dynamic strokes and lines to illustrate the academic act of highlighting, showing how they “hilight” all those who work in education. This brand was brought to life on HiLight’s website, product platform, social media—and, of course, highlighters and stickers to pass out in the classroom.
