La Cima
Charter School
A complete brand identity system built to unify every enrollment touchpoint for La Cima Charter School, a tuition-free K-5 public charter school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Every asset, message, and visual decision flows from one goal: connecting the right families to a school where every child is truly known.
Why Brand Identity
Matters
Academic Achievement
La Cima Charter School scholars outperform their peers in mathematics by 21 percentage points above the New York City and state averages. That result does not happen by accident. It comes from a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio, small-group instruction, and an intentional model that meets every child where they are. A consistent brand communicates that distinction before a family ever walks through the door.
Culture & Community
Families choose La Cima because it is close to home, deeply rooted in Bed-Stuy, and built on real relationships. African drum and dance, theater, cooking, student council, and monthly field trips across New York City make this a place where children are challenged and celebrated. About 75% of multilingual learners improved their English proficiency levels last year. The culture here is warm, structured, and genuinely joyful.
Growth Opportunity
La Cima currently serves 149 scholars and has capacity for 400, with the greatest urgency in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Free after-school care until 6 PM, free bus transportation within a mile radius, and free meals every day remove the most common barriers families face. With a same-day enrollment response and a tour that fits any schedule, the path from discovery to enrollment has never been shorter.
Positioning &
Strategy
La Cima Charter School is the tuition-free K-5 public school for Bed-Stuy families who want their child to be known, challenged, and celebrated every day, supported by a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio, culturally rich programming including African drum and dance, and an academic model that consistently outperforms city and state math averages by 21 points.
Strategic Anchors
Top Parent Objections — Addressed
7-Day Content
Pillars
Enrollment
Funnel
9:1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio
Every scholar receives individualized attention in a small-group learning environment. No child at La Cima is anonymous. Teachers know every scholar personally and track progress closely throughout the school year.
Culturally Rich Programming for All Grades
African drum and dance, theater, cooking, soccer, dance, and student council are not extras. They are core parts of what makes La Cima a whole-child school where scholars develop leadership, creativity, and belonging alongside strong academics.
Completely Free to Attend
Tuition-free enrollment, free breakfast, lunch, and snack daily, free after-school care until 6 PM Monday through Friday, and free bus transportation within a mile radius. Families should never let cost be the reason they do not apply.
Special Education Support Built In
La Cima offers a 12:1:1 IEP setting, small-group intervention, and dedicated support for scholars with disabilities. Families of children with IEPs are actively welcomed and should know their child will receive real, personalized support here.
Logo &
Identity
Primary — Light Background
On Dark Background · White Card
Maintain a minimum clear space equal to the height of the logo mark on all four sides. Never allow other text, images, or graphic elements to crowd or overlap the mark in any application.
Keep the logo on white, or on a photo or blue background with clear contrast. Never reproduce below 80px wide digitally or 1 inch wide in print. The logo is never inverted or recolored; on blue or photo backgrounds, place it inside a small white card so its original colors stay intact.
Do not stretch, rotate, recolor, outline, or add drop shadows or gradients to the logo. Never place it on a low-contrast background. Always use the approved source file provided by the school.
Color
Palette
Three colors do all the work. Blue is the foundation, teal is the energy, and gold is a small spark used sparingly. If a document uses more than these three plus white, it has too many colors.
Composition Rule of Thumb
Blue Tint Scale · Tables, Chart Bars & Soft Backgrounds
Red Hat,
Everywhere
We use the Red Hat family for everything. It is free on Google Fonts, comes preloaded in Canva, and installs easily on any school computer. Red Hat Display for headlines, Red Hat Text for everything you read.
- Page or slide titles: 32 to 44pt, Black 900, blue or white on blue
- Section headings: 20 to 24pt, Bold 700, blue or teal
- Conveys energy, approachability, and modern confidence
- Never use more than two fonts in one document
- Body copy: 11 to 12pt print, 15 to 16px web, Regular 400, dark ink, never pure black
- Captions and labels: 9 to 10pt, Medium 500, uppercase with letter spacing, teal or gray-blue
- Line-height 1.6 to 1.8 for comfortable reading at small sizes
Fallback: if Red Hat is not available (a shared computer, an email, or a system that will not load custom fonts), use Arial. Do not substitute Calibri, Times, or a decorative font. To install Red Hat, search "Red Hat Display" and "Red Hat Text" on fonts.google.com; both are free.
Imagery
Direction
Learning in Action
Capture scholars genuinely engaged in K-5 academic work: small-group reading instruction, hands-on math, experiential science, and one-on-one teacher moments. Prioritize natural classroom light and candid concentration over staged or posed setups. Always use real La Cima scholars, smiling, in uniform blue, never stock photography of children who are not ours.
Community, Culture & Joy
Showcase the energy and diversity of the La Cima community: African drum and dance classes, theater rehearsals, field trips across New York City, after-school soccer, cooking club, and family engagement moments. Images should reflect belonging, cultural pride, and the genuine joy of being part of a small school where relationships are real, always with our own scholars and families.
How We
Sound
Our writing is warm, direct, and plain. We write like a person, not an institution. Everything we publish reflects our C.A.R.E. principles.
Scholars, Not Students
We call our children scholars in all family-facing and public materials. It signals what we believe about them.
Warm and Direct
Short sentences. Plain words. Say the important thing first, then explain.
Invite, Don't Instruct
Family and community materials should welcome people in, not issue directives.
Belonging Is the Message
Our enrollment line says it best: "A place. A home. Your child belongs at La Cima." Lead with community and belonging, support with results.
Guidance by
Format
Whatever you are making, start from these patterns. When in doubt, look at the enrollment flyer and the board strategy deck; they set the standard.
Flyers & Family Materials
Lead with a photo of our scholars whenever possible, real La Cima children, smiling, in uniform blue. Headline in white Red Hat Display on a blue background or photo. Always include the full contact block. One gold or teal accent maximum.
Board & Formal Documents
Clean and calm. White background, blue headings, black-ink body text in Red Hat Text or Arial, generous margins. Teal for section labels and table headers. No clip art, no decorative borders. Data belongs in simple tables or bar charts using the blue tint scale.
Presentation Decks
Title slides on full La Cima Blue with white Red Hat Display. Content slides on white with blue headings. One idea per slide. Charts use blue for La Cima and gray tints for comparison data, so our results always stand out.
Instagram & Social
Photos first; our community is the content. When adding text overlays, use Red Hat Display Bold in white with a blue or teal background bar, never text floating directly on a busy image. Keep captions in our warm, plain voice and tag @lacimacharter consistently.
Letterhead & Email
Logo top left, contact details in the footer, body in Red Hat Text or Arial 11pt. Signatures are simple: name, title, school. No inspirational quotes or heavy formatting in signatures.