Introducing the New CMI and Alveary!

We are excited to present new branding and new websites for the Charlotte Mason Institute (CMI) and Alveary. Last year we embarked on a journey to clarify the relationship between CMI and Alveary, as well as the entire identity system. 

A Team Effort

Gathering together designers, CMI friends, the Board, and a cohort of Alveary families, we worked through a series of design explorations and iterations. We wanted to make several updates: create a new brand identity for both CMI and Alveary, give Alveary an opportunity to live on its own and refresh the website and digital design. Lastly, by rejuvenating the design approach to all of our communications, we could build a brand that represented the community and CMI’s commitment to relational education.  

WHY Design Matters

Clear and inclusive design elevates who we are as a community, why we exist and the place we hope to carve out in the world as a community. In developing a clear brand, design mark and website, we looked at the form, color, type, textures, and images to represent an identity for the organization. It is with this intention, we hope to showcase that a Charlotte Mason education can be accessible to a wide range of cultures, ages, people groups, and learning styles while also inspiring a new wave of people. In our research, we heard from many of you that the content was top notch but challenging to access.

One of the biggest areas of improvement for both CMI and Alveary websites will be clearer navigation and ease in finding content. 

Inspiration for the Charlotte Mason Institute and Alveary Mark

For the CMI logo, the leaf is a symbol of life but it also represents much more; it reflects a natural and hopeful symbol of growth, community and connection. The three leaves also connect with the three core institute values of charity, fidelity, and humility. The leaves are shaped to create a feeling of openness.

The inspiration behind the Alveary design stems from the image of a tree with the sun peeking through the branches. We felt that this identity was equal parts a symbol of craftsmanship and equal parts inspiration for our own faith and learning journey. There are different ways to look at this image: being in awe of God’s presence, as well as a visible path of light coming through his creation. We can also interpret it as a pathway of knowledge and exploration. How you interpret it can also serve as an interesting Rorschach test!

We are excited to see how people embrace everything in the upcoming months. We hope that the redesign and rebrand can highlight the depth and breadth of our organization’s content and also support you as you engage with us on the journey. 

FAQs

Will there be brand guidelines and why are they important?

As we continue to finalize and refine the site, we look forward to sharing the culmination of this work with you all. One important note is that with this redesign, a new set of branding guidelines will be used so that the organization and materials can have a unified identity. Designing within these guidelines will provide clarity on the organization and also strengthen the brand.  For now, we ask that you refrain from using the Alveary logo on materials you have made or customized yourself.