During SY2022-23, the TAS Communications Office will pursue a monthly series helping to prepare the TAS community for the launch of a new branding initiative, in accordance with the TAS strategic plan.

By Lindsey Kundel, Director of Communications & Marketing 

It's officially been a year since the school embarked on its important branding project with its outside consulting group, Mission Minded. 

For those who may not remember, Head of School Dr. Grace Cheng Dodge first discussed the TAS Branding Project mid-way through the last school year (Update #1) and provided additional details about some of our findings a little while later (Update #2). 

Something that is important for all Tigers to remember is that a school's brand is not its logo, tagline, or stationery; rather, it includes an organization's reputation, emotional resonance, history, and much more. A stronger understanding of our brand will ultimately help us to strengthen the TAS community through a SHARED understanding of who we are (and who we are not).  

The key word here is understanding, not updating, because even while something will be updated and changed, it will be updated to better align with who we actually are as an organization. 

"I've made this effort a major priority to ensure that we're doing our very best to invite families and faculty to see TAS for who we really are," said Dr. Dodge in the first update last year. "In my time as Head of School, I've observed that we often struggle to articulate clearly what makes us unique, and what our unique approach to whole-child education means for our students. It's time we work together to construct a way of expressing ourselves that is both authentic and compelling, from the inside out. This project is NOT about changing who or what we are. In fact, it's about codifying the BEST of the School so that we can all continue to talk about TAS with consistency, clarity, and confidence." 

In order to do this, the TAS rebranding team has worked alongside our outside consulting group, Mission Minded, to conduct thorough research into our current brand including one-on-one interviews with the school community, an online survey to the community, and research into our market here in Taiwan. 

"This project has been incredibly rewarding and illuminating to all of us on the admin team, and I have found it inspiring to delve so deeply into our school's identity," said Dodge. "Who are we, really? Who do we, as an organization, want to become? What are we like on our best days?"  

These questions -- and many more -- have been at the center of this branding project. Equally as interesting have been our discussions about who we THINK we are versus how we are PERCEIVED by others. 

"Although the central admin team and the advancement team have been the lead organizers of this branding project, I have been thrilled at just how many people we have been able to include in this work along the way -- including faculty, staff, administrators, parents, students, and alumni," said Dodge. "Thank you again to all those who responded to our surveys late last fall and to the many people who took hours out of their busy daily schedules to be part of our intensive brand discussions led by Mission Minded last spring."  

While the branding project is nearing its final stages -- and we cannot wait to share with you our findings and new visual identity – we wanted to take some time this month to remind you what this project is and what it is not. 

The school's current goal is to unveil the new TAS branding strategy at the same time as our brand new website, which should be completed in late spring 2023. 

"It is my firm belief after this year-long branding journey that every single Tiger is a proud brand ambassador," said Dodge. "I look forward to having a clearer brand in place that reflects our organization's rich history and our incredibly bold aspirations for the future. Together, we will help everyone understand what TAS is all about and show how proud we are to be a part of this special community." 

Want to know more about what our logo looked like 50 years ago? Or do you want to know more about school branding trends around the globe? Please stay tuned for additional updates and content related to the TAS brand, which will be published every month by the Communications Office throughout the rest of this school year.

We hope to see many more Tigers continue to get involved in this important work, and encourage them to reach out to the TAS Communications Office for opportunities for focus groups, interviews, and more!

*Please note that the launch date is an estimate and subject to change. The school will release both the new branding strategy and new website before the end of SY22-23.