Case Study: Northstar Student Care Centre

Northstar Student Care Centre, is an afterschool institution that offers education and recreational activities for students in the heartlands of Hougang. Founded in 1995, it was acquired as Dexus Student Care Centre (“Dexus”) from its previous owner who was contemplating a change of ownership after operating Dexus for over two decades.

Aspiring To New Heights With A Flyer

The new owner, our Client, first approached Superminted to empower Dexus’s on-ground marketing efforts. Looking to raise brand awareness for the Dexus brand, our Client sought our design expertise in creating an A5 flyer, which he intended to disseminate to residents in the Hougang estate. Given the opportunity to support a local brand and flex our creative muscles in the process, we were naturally excited to get started!

As the project kicked off, Superminted’s brand strategists worked closely with our Client to help him further map out potential brand touchpoints. Driven by our belief that business and branding should go hand in hand, we felt that a landing page was a necessary addition to our Client’s marketing strategy.

Our teams relayed this information to our Client and helped him understand how the landing page would serve as a place for interested parties to receive further information and interact with the Dexus brand. We impressed upon him how crucial this landing page was as part of Dexus’s marketing strategy and he unanimously agreed. Not long after this conversation, our Branding and Design team submitted the first draft of Dexus’s landing page layout and design!

A Path Of Continuous Learning

At this point, Superminted had designed and produced an A5 flyer and a single accompanying landing page for the then-known Dexus Student Care Centre. Wrapping up the submission of these deliverables, our Client extended his gratitude for our proactivity and advice rendered. These words of appreciation opened the channels for further conversations and paved the way for further discussion about the importance of branding, as we sought to educate our Client and impress upon him the tangible benefits of branding.

Coincidentally, he shared that he had been considering a departure from the Dexus brand. Seeking to rebuild the brand from scratch and start afresh without prior expectations that might come attached with its two-decade old legacy, our Client sought a new brand identity that was closer aligned to his values and was able to fully encapsulate the new journey the brand was undergoing. As you might imagine, these words were music to the ears of our brand strategists. The term “new brand identity” caught their attention, and boy were they excited to talk about branding!

What made this project so unique was the focus on the human stories and relationships that are often overlooked in the industry. By emphasising these elements and putting them front and centre of each video, Superminted was able to invert the business-and-numbers-first image that insurance companies are often associated with. This approach, which captured the genuine connections between NTUC Income clients and agents, helped to further bolster the company’s reputation as an employer that cares – for their clients and employees.

The Birth Of A Star

The process of building our Client’s new brand began with a meeting to better understand the brand’s purpose, mission, and vision. Our brand foundation workshop ended with our Client deciding on the brand name “Northstar Student Care Centre”, something that represented the brand’s aspiration to be the guiding force in student’s lives through afterschool programs.

This information was further processed and the essence of what was required was conveyed to our Branding and Design team. From wacky fonts to bright colour palettes, they sketched out a series of logos that were to be presented to our Client, who would pick one that he felt best captured the look and feel of Northstar Student Care Centre.

Going the extra mile to help our Client make a choice he could be confident in, our designers also created several mock-ups to help him visualise how the new Northstar logo could be applied. In addition, our brand strategists also gave recommendations on how the logos and tonal palettes could also help shape the interior design and furniture of Northstar.

What’s worth noting is that despite all the advice and options, we understood that the final choice was to be made by our Client. Superminted’s role as a brand management agency is one of education, advice, and expert consultation – our creative input serves to help our clients make an executive decision.

Making Magic Happen

Two websites and one flyer later, we’re happy to say that our efforts with Northstar were able to help our Client achieve a much stronger digital and physical brand presence! This was only made possible through close collaboration between Superminted and the Client, with working teams stepping up to the plate time and time again, to provide guidance and direction.

In doing so, our Client placed his faith in Superminted and this enabled us to push the boundaries of our creativity and deliver standout assets that facilitated Northstar’s branding. This project stands as a testament to Superminted’s commitment as a brand management agency. What truly sets us apart, and is reflected clearly in our work with Northstar Student Care Centre, is our dedication to supporting clients in their journey of growth and evolution.

We’ll Lead The Way

From educating clients on the importance of branding, to closely monitoring project progress and assuaging clients of their concerns, Superminted works with one goal in mind – to streamline the brand management process from brand strategy to omni-channel execution, to help realise your brand’s true potential.

Reach out us today and let us know how we can ease your brand management journey!

Daryl is a Copy Editor at Superminted, fueled by a love for bringing emotionally engaging stories to life. With  carefully selected words and a smart turn of phrase, he is devoted to helping brands shape their unique voice.

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