Nuasin Next Generation
A website and identity for the independently managed Bronx based charter school
Formerly the Metropolitan Lighthouse Charter School, Nuasin Next Generation Charter School moved to being independently managed. As part of this move, they were looking for a long-term partner to design a holistic visual identity and online presence.
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In January 2021, Metropolitan Lighthouse Charter School (MLCS), a public, independent charter school serving students in grades K-12 in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, reached out to us about creating a new visual identity for the school. The school was planning a move from being managed by Lighthouse Academies Inc. to being independently managed, and in conjunction with this change, renaming itself. The new name “Nuasin Next Generation” was chosen in a process that incorporated input from the students, staff, and board members of MLCS. According to the New York City Parks Department, the Native Americans who lived in the area where Highbridge is today called it “Nuasin,” which means “the land between.” The moniker referred to the land’s position between the Harlem River and an estuary that flowed where Jerome Avenue is today.
We kicked off the project’s visual identity phase with a discovery process involving the team at Pasek Consulting, the school’s staff, executive director Malik Russell, and Lower School principal Kurt Davidson. During several meetings, we discussed the transition, the core mission and values of the school, and what we wanted to express via the visuals. Simpatico presented a direction that leveraged imagery from the Highbridge, as well as a concept of “building blocks” which gave a nod to the building of Nuasin scholars’ futures.
After a few rounds of feedback and creative iteration with the team, Simpatico began the next task of extending the final visual identity to all needed assets and collateral. Most importantly, the staff was looking for their design partner to create a new website to communicate the Nuasin mission and story. The accessible and user-friendly website serves to influence families to apply to the school through content that inspires and informs. Additionally, the website provides information to current families and school. The Nuasin identity was later also extended to school uniforms, the interior design of the school itself, external signage, and more.
