Harker’s athletic branding program takes top honor in CASE Awards of Excellence

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Harker earned a gold award in the branding category for its entry, titled “Harker Athletic Branding Program,” in this year’s District VII CASE Awards of Excellence! The silver winners in the category were both universities: the University of California, Davis, for its campus recreation “Come as You Are” branding campaign, and University of California, San Diego, for its “Continue the Nontradition” branding campaign. The fact that Harker beat out two universities for the top award speaks directly to the caliber of work at Harker.

The two-year effort was spearheaded by the Harker Office of Communication’s in-house designer, Becky McCartney. “Becky was especially resolute in finalizing the brand and helping to execute it across all uses, including uniforms, locker rooms and gear,” noted Pam Dickinson, director of the Office of Communication. 

Ken Toyama, a graphic designer who has worked extensively with Harker in the past, contributed substantially to the effort, working on illustration and production under McCartney’s direction.

“It was an organized, thorough process in which our Office of Communication listened to our athletic department’s goals and philosophy,” said Dan Molin, upper school athletic director. “From there emerged a wonderful visual brand that our high school athletes and prospective students will recognize as a brand of excellence, as is the case with all Harker programs.”

“Along with the new Athletics Center, the new athletic branding is top notch and demonstrates the level of excellence we are striving to attain,” added Theresa “Smitty” Smith, varsity volleyball coach, and lower and middle school athletic director. “We are proud of the efforts that have gone into the gym and the branding, and the excitement amongst our student-athletes is palpable. They are now even more proud to wear the gear and represent the Harker sports program.”

In their congratulatory letter, CASE judges noted Harker’s “excellent work stood out among the best. One of our objectives is to share best practices among our colleagues, and your efforts will be recognized as an example for others to emulate. Thank you for producing the kind of work that brings respect to our profession.”

As a gold award winner, the entry will now be considered for a grand gold award, “given to the truly ground-breaking work in the category.” Those awards will be announced in March at the Awards of Excellence luncheon in San Francisco.

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