01

Logos

Which ones to use & when

Brand Logos & Usage

We use our logo to represent SCHECHTER, through all internal & external communication. If a message is coming from SCHECHTER, the logo & branding should appear.

Parent Brand Logo

We use the Schechter parent brand logo to represent the entire Schechter ecosystem, including all-school, our admin, & in referencing our school as a whole. It appears in places where people should know about who we are, such as our website, in print ads, materials, & at events.

The icon should not be used to represent individual grade levels, as they should be represented using the Sager logo.

The Sager Logo

We use the Sager logo to represent individual grade levels. If your grade is hosting an event or program, the sager logo should be present & the event should be referred to as being hosted by the Sager School.

02

Colors

Basically our box of crayons

Our Brand Colors

Our brand consists of three main colors, 4 monochromatic shades, 2 complementary colors, & a gradient guide.

Main Color Scheme

The main palette consists of our main base colors. These are our primary colors that everything is based around. They can be used on all documents & materials representing our brand.

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Schechter Blue

Monochromatic Colors

Our monochromatic colors are variations of blues that we use, still tying into our Schechter Blue. These are used for design, texture, & dimension, & should not be used without the main color palette.

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Navy Blue

Complementary Colors

In some cases, additional colors may be needed for events. To support this, two complementary colors are available. These colors should be used sparingly, making up no more than 20% of any design or document, & should never be used on their own.

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Gradient Color

Our gradient is a combination of the monochromatic palette & can be adjusted as needed for readability. We use this for most materials to add dimension & depth.

Accessibility

To ensure all materials remain accessible & easy to read, we consistently use blue or white backgrounds across our designs. We’ve established clear color standards to guide design decisions, maintain visual consistency, & help ensure all content is legible for every audience.

03

Our Menorah Man

A Mark of Community. The Shape of Schechter.

The Menorah Mark is one of the most recognizable elements of the Schechter brand. More than a logo, it acts as a subtle visual signature across our materials, helping create familiarity, consistency, & visual depth throughout every touchpoint. Whether used boldly or softly in the background, the mark should always feel intentional, clean, & unmistakably Schechter.

Purpose

The Menorah Mark is often used as a background graphic or compositional element to reinforce brand identity without distracting from the primary content. It helps unify materials across departments, events, ceremonies, presentations, social graphics, print collateral, & digital communications. Rather than functioning as a standalone logo placement, the mark should feel integrated into the overall design system.

Placement

The Menorah Mark is intended to sit in the background layer of a design. It should support the composition, not compete with it. Preferred usage includes:

Extending the mark off the edge of the page or canvas
Cropping the mark intentionally for movement & dimension
Anchoring the mark in corners or along edges
Using oversized applications rather than small decorative placements
Layering the mark behind headlines, imagery, or large blocks of color while maintaining readability.

The mark should never interfere with accessibility, legibility, or hierarchy.

Transparency & Color

The Menorah Mark should remain subtle in application.

Recommended opacity ranges from approximately 5%–20% depending on the composition, contrast, & surrounding design elements. In monochromatic designs, the mark may appear slightly stronger, while photography-heavy or text-heavy layouts may require softer treatments.

Approved uses include:
Tone-on-tone applications using Schechter blues
White overlays on dark backgrounds
Soft gradients
Transparent or faded applications that create depth without drawing attention

Avoid:
High contrast executions
Full opacity applications
Bright accent color treatments
Busy placements directly behind body copy or dense text

Scaling & Composition

The Menorah Mark is most effective when treated as a large-scale graphic element rather than a small decorative icon.

The mark should:
Be intentionally oversized
Be cropped naturally within the composition
Maintain proper proportions at all times
Feel embedded into the layout itself
Do not stretch, distort, rotate randomly, or alter the shape of the mark.

Design Philosophy

The Menorah Mark should quietly reinforce the Schechter identity across all materials. When used consistently, it creates a visual familiarity that allows our community to instantly recognize a piece as Schechter before reading a single word.

04

Typography

The look behind the message

Montserrat Bold

Montserrat Bold is the distinctive font used throughout our main logo lockups, communications, advertisements, and external materials. Consistent brand elements, like fonts and colors, help create a strong visual identity and foster a sense of familiarity, recognition, and comfort within our community.

Tahoma Bold

Tahoma Bold is the font we use for writing text in Hebrew. It should not be used for any other text besides Hebrew writing. We traditionally match the thickness of the font to the Montserrat font we are using.

05

The Schechter Voice

Because words matter

Our voice should feel warm, thoughtful, clear, & human. Everything we write reflects who we are as a school & community, from newsletters & social captions to event flyers & emails home.

We aim to sound:

Welcoming, not overly formal
Professional, but never corporate
Joyful, without being cheesy
Confident, without sounding exclusive
Thoughtful, clear, & easy to understand

Whenever possible, focus on the “why” behind what we do, not just the event or activity itself. Our communication should help families feel connected to the learning, values, community, & experiences happening at Schechter.

Our Voice Often Includes:

Warm & conversational language
Clear explanations without educational jargon
Specific details & storytelling
Messaging rooted in community, belonging, curiosity, growth, & Jewish values

Avoid:

Overly sales-focused language
Generic phrases or clichés
Excessive exclamation points or ...
Language that feels overly trendy or forced
Long paragraphs without purpose

A Good Rule of Thumb

If it sounds like something a real person at Schechter would naturally say out loud, you’re probably on the right track.