Angel Land Preschool
North Richland Hills, TX
A playful new identity for a neighborhood preschool
I rebranded a longtime community preschool and, over the following years, extended the identity across print collateral and apparel. The project began as a logo redesign in 2014 and grew into an ongoing freelance relationship.
Overview
A new chapter for a longtime preschool
Angel Land Preschool had been serving families in the community for decades, but its visual identity no longer reflected the character of the school. In 2014, I was given the opportunity to rebrand it as a fresh-out-of-college designer, thanks to a family friend who was serving as its director.
What began as a logo redesign eventually expanded into a range of design work. When I returned in 2017, I redesigned the preschool's printed materials, and over the years I also created custom T-shirts and other pieces as new needs arose.
Challenge
Refreshing a familiar identity
The goal wasn't to completely reinvent Angel Land. The preschool was already familiar to generations of local families, so the new identity needed to feel fresh while maintaining a connection to its existing community presence.
One of the most recognizable features of the preschool was the church's ichthus and cross statue outside the building. Rather than treating that landmark as something separate from the brand, I looked for a way to make it part of the identity itself.
Approach
Building from something recognizable
The logo became the foundation for the new identity, giving Angel Land a visual anchor that could carry across different applications. When I returned to the project several years later, the challenge was less about redefining the brand and more about making it work consistently across physical materials. I developed a simple paper-doll illustration system to add personality without competing with the logo.
Because this was my first substantial print project, it also became an opportunity to learn the practical side of production, from margins and bleed to designing around the physical constraints of printed pieces.
Work
Putting the Identity to Work
The logo incorporates the church's ichthus and cross statue, turning a familiar community landmark into a distinctive part of the preschool's identity.
In 2017, I redesigned a range of printed materials, including receipts, forms, and flyers. The paper-doll illustrations provided a flexible visual element that could be adapted across different pieces while keeping them connected.
The receipt book presented a particularly interesting production challenge. Its multiple perforations required the layout to account for how the finished piece would actually be handled and separated, giving me an early lesson in designing beyond the screen.
The identity also extended into several custom T-shirt designs created for the preschool over the years. These pieces gave me another opportunity to translate the brand into something more playful and expressive. I'm especially fond of the running paper dolls on the Fun Run shirt.
Key Lessons
Learning the craft of print
This project gave me an early foundation in print production and taught me to consider how a design would actually be produced and used, not just how it looked on screen. It also showed me how a simple visual system can help maintain consistency across a wide range of materials.
Outcome
An identity built to grow
The new identity gave Angel Land a cohesive visual foundation that could extend from everyday paperwork to apparel and promotional materials. More importantly, the project grew into a freelance relationship that continued for several years, giving me early experience working directly with a client and responding to a range of evolving design needs.
