This article was written by students in the "Writing For Publication" class at Dublin Jerome High School taught by Mrs. Trisler. All views and opinions in the article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions nor policies of Dublin Jerome High School.
A Difference in Dublin: Website and Logo Review
Commentary and review of Dublin City Schools’ updated website and logo, along with an interview with Kristy Venne, DCS’ Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships.
By Olivia Went and Hunter Rajan
Jan. 27, 2023
Updated DCS Website
The updated DCS website is an obvious improvement from the old website. A more polished and easily accessible site with clear links and labels, this website is visually appealing and better organized. Like the old website, the updated website proudly displays the colors of Dublin City Schools, arranged in varying shades of green, gold, and white. Additionally, the new website has clear and distinct pages categorizing different aspects of Dublin City Schools.
Users will immediately notice that new buttons have been added: the “Community Page” explores helpful resources and clarifies opportunities available in Dublin, and the home page displays many pictures taken in Dublin City Schools. Furthermore, the “Families Page” is full of helpful resources as well, all labeled with graphics and links. The streamlined appearance and targeted buttons eliminate the need for fruitless site-searching and make information readily accessible. When one first views the website, they’re directed to an “I Want To…” selection of common reasons for visiting the website, such as contacting a school, emailing a teacher, paying lunch fees, requesting a transcript, and so much more. The many options allow for quicker website navigation. Additionally, the home page no longer has a DCS video–which was an interesting add-on–but one that caused the website unnecessary lag. The old website was geared more toward new families in the district, but the new website aims to help current students.
Scrolling down, the website reveals carefully displayed information. This includes “Dublin News,” “Upcoming Events,” “Fun Facts about DCS,” and the calendar. It is obvious that much time has been spent on the updated website and that careful consideration went into designing it. According to Kristy Venne, the old website had “redundant links,” was “complicated,” and had “old material” left on it. DCS’ goal is to make the new website more user-friendly for parents and students. Venne also commented on how the evolution of the new website is not complete, but she predicts it to be a “huge success later on.” Dublin City Schools stepped up; the old website has been reconstructed into an updated tool. Clearly, the new Dublin City Schools website aims to be easier to use and more efficient.
Updated Dublin Logo
A simple clover sprouted above the letters “Dublin City Schools.” The old logo was simply designed, easily recognizable, and…kind of boring. It was missing a certain je ne sais quoi, and maybe it was just the wear and tear of time, but it was missing modernity. It wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t now.
Times have changed: 2020, 2021, and 2022 changed the world and schools– maybe it was time for the logo to change as well. After all, schools evolved after the pandemic. With the signature clover, the Dublin logo was a beloved hallmark of DCS. However, many people didn’t realize that this logo was from 1997–obviously, it was time for an upgrade. The old logo was designed when there wasn’t a need for a digital version; as such, the logo didn’t need to mix well with technology. As the years progressed, it became harder to incorporate the old logo into digital environments because of certain design elements and small font. Many people didn’t even realize that the shamrock leaves of the old logo actually spelled “DCS”. Despite not having the “DCS” shamrock lettering, the new and improved version is designed to do much better with emails and Schoology.
Every DCS school has an individual logo, but the Dublin logo is meant to “represent who we are” as a brand, according to Kristy Venne, DCS’ Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships. Venne explains: “The brand has to do with culture. Rebranding DCS through a new logo will help the district promote its vision of success for its students.” Dublin is well known for its multitude of academic and extracurricular opportunities, and Venne believes that the new logo accurately represents the value and worth of Dublin culture. After all, families flock to Dublin from all over the world for a Dublin education, and the logo should represent a forward-thinking and successful school system. The new logo “keeps up with change and shows success,” similar to how other brands, like Pepsi, have changed their logos to be consistent with public taste. Like many popular brands, the new logo uses clean lines and simple colors, which align with the colors of the three DCS high schools.
Venne stated that this new logo is just the beginning of new changes coming to the Dublin School District; more plans and changes will be announced later this year. However, an homage to a logo created before 1990 was paid through the signature shamrock– the original DCS logo had a shamrock inside of a D. Dublin may be moving forward as a district, but it hasn’t forgotten its past.
Although there are many artistically talented DCS students, designing the new logo for DCS required another level of complexity and precision, so the logo needed to be professional and clean-cut. That’s where 99designs, a graphic design company, came in. Venne claims that 99designs was cost-effective compared to other design companies, whose logo packages range from $20,000 to $30,000. Despite using a professional company, students were still asked their opinions about the new logo, with different variations of the original contenders shown to students before the final decision.
Ultimately, the new logo symbolizes Dublin City Schools’ commitment to change and growth; the district has changed since 1997, so it’s time the logo changed too. Although the old logo holds nostalgia and fond memories, this new logo is a part of DCS’ impressive effort to create positive and progressive change in the schools.
