How To Create An Award-Winning Viewbook and Photographs: Mission Minded and Army and Navy Academy

Chosen because Mission Minded won Gold for Still Photography, Outsourced and Bronze for Printed Viewbook/Prospectus for their client, Army and Navy Academy. Mission Minded’s Creative Director, Rod LeMaire, explained how they were done.

“Amazing in every way. Bravo! The format and function alone speak volumes about who you are and what type of boys would thrive.”

— Brilliance Awards Judge's Comment

The Challenge 

Army and Navy Academy came to Mission Minded with a desire to improve their brand identity, and as a result, improve their admissions and enrollment numbers. Through research and discovery, Mission Minded learned that Army and Navy Academy was faced with a brand identity issue. Because of the signals they were sending, families saw them as a reform school for troubled boys who wanted to go on to join the military.

In actuality, Army and Navy Academy is an extremely intentional, well-rounded experience for young men who want to bring out the best in themselves and go on to do great things whether that be in college, the military, or elsewhere.

“Mission Minded worked to develop a brand strategy that better identified who Army and Navy Academy is as a school and why people should want to join with them.”

— Rod Lemaire, Partner and Creative Director, Mission Minded

 The Strategy

The portfolio of gold-winning still images for Army and Navy Academy.

“Gold! This incredibly strong series of photos conveys what I take to be the range of student experiences at the Academy. As to be expected there are images that convey seriousness and discipline. Perhaps less expected — but reassuring to prospective families — are moments of leisure, collaboration, and joy.”

— Brilliance Awards Judge's Comment

“Mission Minded worked to develop a brand strategy that better identified who Army and Navy Academy is as a school and why people should want to join with them,” says Rod Lemaire, Partner and Creative Director, Mission Minded. They developed the Academy’s brand promise of “Believe in the Boy” which served as the driving factor for key messages, visual identity, admissions brochure, website, and video creation.

The Process

A strategically developed, defined, flexible visual identity is worth its weight in gold. Since a successful one has so few choices, it makes marketing and communications decisions so much easier and presents a consistent visual brand across mediums. Mission Minded shared this fascinating presentation that explores Army and Navy Academy’s journey through the process.

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The Budget and Timeline

“The budget we were allotted was enough for the entire scope of the project,” says Rod. They economized throughout the development of creative assets by working with vendors who are strategic, efficient, and effective in their work. They chose to work with a print vendor and a photographer who could offer the highest quality product at the best value.

“We used the new brand strategy as the foundation,” says Rod. “From there, we redesigned the school’s visual identity, admissions brochure, website, and developed an evergreen video over the course of 7 months.” The visual identity, admissions brochure, website, and video were all developed in-house at Mission Minded, while the website development, printing, and production of the admissions brochure were done by third party vendors.

Army and Navy Academy Viewbook Cover

Army and navy viewbook interior

“Having a solid brand strategy to build everything off of and always refer back to is the best yardstick for success. Brand strategy gives you room to try new things and make big decisions because you have a lens for which to filter everything through.”

— Rod Lemaire, Partner and Creative Director, Mission Minded

The Results

Army and Navy Academy has achieved great results in their first year since launching their new brand identity. They have reached an all-time high for retention rates and are close to filling their enrollment numbers for the current school year. They have received rave reviews from internal and external audiences that feel a deep connection with the way they are choosing to communicate as a school. They are hopeful that they will be back to a waitlist for prospective students in the coming years. 

“This work spoke to people on unexpectedly emotional level,” says Rod. “Being an all-boys military school, viewers don’t expect to see raw emotion and transformation. Breaking down these preconceived notions allowed us to connect with the boys, and ultimately, their support systems who make admissions and enrollment decisions.”

Rod says, “Army and Navy Academy has been a dream client in the sense that they understand the need for a strong strategy and trust our process to create impactful deliverables.”

Advice For others

“Having a solid brand strategy to build everything off of and always refer back to is the best yardstick for success,” says Rod. “Brand strategy gives you room to try new things and make big decisions because you have a lens for which to filter everything through.”

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TEAM
Rod Lemaire, Creative Director
Carrie Tilmann, Art Director
Alex Cortes, Designer
Karen Buck, Strategist/Writer
Abbey Meyers, Strategist/Writer
John Davis, Photographer

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