It has been 25 years since the Orange County School of the Arts began nurturing a generation of artists and students: The school is ready for a new image. On July 23rd, the Santa Ana school introduced its new name and logo, marking a transition into a more modern, dynamic look.
The new brand is a product of a yearlong discussion amongst the OCSA administration; board of trustees; and local branding agency RiechesBaird, which collaborated with the school in 2000 when it moved to its current Santa Ana campus.
The initial reason for hesitation towards the change was of confusing the school’s client base. Nevertheless, the administration wanted to create a new name that would better encompass all the grade levels it serves (7-12) and a new logo that would better portray the vibrant culture and flair of OCSA.
Although the colorful blocks that now comprise the logo appear completely different from the previous navy blue and yellow logo, the new design, using the negative space in the center of the boxes, still incorporates an essential element that has come to define the school: the star. President and executive director of OCSA, Ralph Opacic, says, “The star represents greatness and excellence. And so I think it reflects our students.”
In addition, the school nickname, O-SHA, will still be used.
With such change, students, especially seniors, are not content. “There was a lot of outrage because [the school name] is something that is really close to our identity. We are graduating with that name,” says Judy Lee, rising senior at OCSA.
And yet, Lee believes that “it was a good decision in terms of trying to bring something new and fresh into our school.”
OCSA is definitely looking for a new and fresh direction to take its programs and facilities. The school plans to add new programs such as fashion design and digital media and to purchase more property. Opacic says, “[This rebranding] is a great way to open the next 25 years of the school and the next chapter for our school.”
