dartford grammar school
450 years of achievement
Client
Dartford Grammar School
Industry
Education
What we did
Identity
Design
The existing crest, while rich in history, no longer reflected the standards or spirit of the school. The colour relationships felt uneven, the scaling of key elements was inconsistent, and the composition lacked visual cohesion. Our challenge was to resolve these issues through thoughtful design — refining the proportions, rebalancing the palette, and re-establishing a sense of harmony and contemporary precision, without losing the authenticity of the original.
We refined the original elements, carefully reworking their proportions to create a more cohesive, compact form. The scroll now integrates seamlessly into the crest, to bring structure and unity. Even the facial expression has been adjusted for a more neutral, welcoming tone, giving the mark a subtle sense of approachability.
To accompany the crest, we developed a new wordmark — precisely spaced and aligned to achieve visual balance and harmony with the emblem. The two can stand alone or work together as a complete identity system, ensuring consistency across applications.
To further it’s potential application, we also created a bespoke monochrome version of the crest, to allow the design to be effectively used across various mediums, from printed materials to digital platforms, without losing its distinctive character and visual appeal.
The refreshed colour palette introduces deep blue and gold tones, shaded to create a refined sense of depth and movement, as well as compliment the school’s signature burgundy, providing a cohesive and flexible palette that performs across print and digital formats alike.
For the school’s 450th anniversary, we also created a commemorative version of the crest and a bespoke DGS450 logo — uniting all anniversary materials under a single celebratory identity.
