Blue Marble has been a key partner throughout the development of the product/Ux and brand communications for both EdReady and its parent organization (NROC) going back over 12 years…learn more.
From launching a new brand and website in March of 2020 through the first few years of growth with many different projects, initiatives, and events, we’ve provided creative/technical services and guidance…learn more.
Blue Marble has been a key partner throughout the development of the product/Ux and brand communications for both EdReady and its parent organization (NROC) going back over 12 years…learn more.
In 2016, NROC's marketing leadership identified "Networked for Change" as the theme of their upcoming 2017 annual member meeting. Blue Marble was tasked with developing a visual identity for the theme.
The team at NROC felt inspired by aspen trees and wanted to use an aspen forest as a metaphor to describe how being "networked" is a powerful force for change. We agreed that the idea was a great fit for this collaborative group of education leaders. The branding program would need to appeal both to young teachers and seasoned administrative leaders.
"Networked for Change emphasizes how natural and human systems of connection encourage resilience and evolution. The NROC Network of members is a powerful force for change, unified by a commitment to honor and support all learners."
—Amanda Melton, NROC Marketing Director
For the campaign visuals, we created an illustration of an aspen forest spreading across a landscape with connected roots underground. In addition to creating the illustration, we developed the overall visual identity, including the Networked for Change logo and a style guide with defined colors, fonts, and graphic elements. Working closely with the NROC marketing team, the theme was integrated into conference activities. The visual identity was applied across a range of media, including signage, name tags, agenda, tote bags, notebooks, a card deck, slide presentations, websites, emails, conference app, and more.
The Networked for Change branding succeeded in capturing the mood of this nonprofit project as its membership works behind-the-scenes to re-think pathways to student success and improve outcomes within the U.S. education system.
2017 Ambassador award winner and California Adult Education professional, Penny Pearson proudly displays her award featuring the Networked for Change aspen illustration.
(click images below to view as slideshow, scroll down for video case study)
Creative Direction: Christine Fisher (BMC) / Amanda Melton (NROC)
Art Direction, Design, and Illustration: Christine Fisher, Blue Marble Creative
Photography: Jennifer Jones || Videography: Wiley Watson
Aspen concept: Terri Rowenhorst / Ilse Wolf || Video direction / project assist: Suzanne Wright Baumhaukl
The NROC Project
Brand and message development
Print and digital publication
When NROC's founder, Gary Lopez, first told us about his vision for EdReady in 2012, NROC had recently secured funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build EdReady. The big goal for EdReady was to help vastly more Americans complete college. EdReady would be a free online tool with a more advanced and customized version used in educational institutions nationwide. The app would allow students to self-assess for math and English readiness and then follow a personalized study path to fill in their knowledge gaps.
EdReady needed to appeal to a broad spectrum of people. Imagine a student headed to a rigorous college STEM program, or an adult with math anxiety striving to earn a G.E.D. A project like this requires the involvement of many stakeholders. Blue Marble was engaged to handle design for EdReady, both UX design and the brand identity and marketing materials.
Christine Fisher and John Watson of Evergreen Education Group discuss EdReady with high school students during a day of user testing.
NROC is unique in that their work is guided by a national network of educational institutions. Therefore, the need to get buy-in from students, schools, and other education leaders is embedded into its business model.
Blue Marble helped with focus groups to test our assumptions and gain valuable insight into the user’s experience with early prototypes. Within the first three months, the interface underwent three major revisions based on feedback from students and teachers. We observed a wide spectrum of attitudes about math and college, learning our target audience's own language so we could gain their trust and engagement.
EdReady is currently being used by institutions across the U.S. including some entire state systems such as Montana, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee, North Carolina, and others.
A short documentary (about Montana) is available to show what a statewide implementation of EdReady looked like in 2015. Blue Marble was involved in the production of this film, conducting the interviews and providing feedback during the editing process.
EdReady has matured from the concept stage to become a fully functional product with a coherent brand and story that continues to unfold.
Based, in part, on the value EdReady brings to educational institutions, NROC has been able to increase membership and is working toward becoming a self-sustaining project.
Blue Marble produced this first explainer video in 2014, including script, storyboards, illustration, voiceover, motion and sound design. Due to our careful planning the video serves a variety of needs and has been customized for multiple states and school systems.
In 2015 we produced a six-part online toolkit for education leaders to promote EdReady within their own institutions. A variety of customizable materials and a complete style guide were included.
The toolkit was also shared as a credit-card-sized flash drive in conference bags. Our work has included designs for conference signage, name tags, and collateral.
A suite of reports allows administrators and teachers to support students using EdReady. How is Ms. Sandoval's Algebra 1 class performing? How has Elizabeth been spending her time inside EdReady? How did Jonathan reach his target score so quickly? Blue Marble helped NROC to create a system that answers questions like these based on research into the needs of EdReady's administrative users.
The "study path" where a student can learn about topics they need to study, then check their knowledge to improve their scores. Students can learn and assess themselves at their own pace in a low-stakes environment with constant feedback.
The NROC Project
Interaction/interface design
Customer/user experience
Brand and message development
Multimedia campaigns
Print and digital publication
Illustration, photography, video production, motion graphics
“I think of Blue Marble as part of our team. Without their vision and creativity we would not have a fraction of the success we have enjoyed. Blue Marble took the time to understand the students and instructors that we serve, as well as the challenges we face. They committed creatively and emotionally to both our business success and our mission success.”
– Gary Lopez, Ph.D, Founder and CEO, The NROC Project
“We’ve got many students falling out of higher education. The work NROC is doing in technology and education could not be more important.”
– Martha Kanter, Former U.S. Department of Education Undersecretary
Hundreds of education leaders have contributed time and expertise to this project and the underlying learning resources. It is truly a labor of love for many.
To learn more about the organization behind EdReady, and to hear what education leaders are saying about EdReady, see the above video. You can also learn more about our work on The NROC Project.
After two years of intensive research and data compilation, the World Bank’s Africa Region Finance and Private Sector Development Unit had devised a strategy for tourism development in Sub-Sahara Africa in an effort to: formalize its involvement in tourism in Africa, create a framework for future interventions, and prioritize tourism-related activities. To garner support and funding from the World Bank’s key internal and external stakeholders, the research team needed to succinctly explain their findings and recommendations in a format easily accessible to The World Bank’s Africa-based staff and partners.
Through a series of work sessions with the research team, Blue Marble helped to identify the project’s key messages and explored various ways to present them. After several iterations of data visualizations and story sequencing, we developed a shared understanding of the story and how best to tell it. A strong visual identity for the project and a series of graphics to represent core findings were critical components for building awareness of the work and explaining complex ideas that might otherwise be lost in cultural translation.
Confidently building stakeholder engagement
For the last several years, the Africa Tourism Strategy team has continued to promote its work and publish updated recommendations and findings as the project evolves. As part of a promotional campaign for AFTFP Tourism's recently released book entitled "Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and Improved Livelihoods," we created an informational booklet and one-pager which was shared at the United Nations World Tourism Organization's 2013 General Assembly.
The World Bank
Multimedia campaigns
Print and digital publication
The Columbia River Gorge is comprised of many small towns scattered along the banks and mountain valleys of the Columbia River in both Oregon and Washington. When the founder approached Blue Marble about joining the steering committee and later board of directors, we were excited to help this fledging nonprofit become an anchor for economic and community development in our region.
GO! established the region’s first “buy local” campaign. We developed a variety of “GO! Local” materials such as posters, T-shirts, stickers, business enrollment packets, a webpage (average 200 participants/year).
GO! had an extensive membership base and a positive impact on the community. While this org is no longer in existence, it was a catalyst to other successful projects and initiatives that continue to influence and contribute in the gorge today.
Gorge Owned Business Network
Brand and message development
Multimedia campaigns
Print and digital publication
“Blue Marble’s experience was a huge asset to GO! as the organization was establishing its value proposition. You have a passion and true talent for helping organizations tell the ‘why’ behind their story. Your diverse skill set — being able to leverage our brand into professional, polished marketing materials in different media — was invaluable.”
– Becky Brun, Marketing and Membership Director, Gorge Owned
