Smart Start Brand Identity | Logo, Affiliate ID, Initiative ID, Style Guide, Branding | Smart Start & The North Carolina Partnership for Children

Smart Start Brand Identity & Resources

Smart Start Brand Identity & Resources

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library branding and resources can be found here

The Smart Start Brand

Smart Start has a 25+ year history of improving early care and education for the children and families of North Carolina. The network of local partnerships and NCPC have garnered a strong, positive reputation for services and programs that bring together communities and improve outcomes for young children, as well as national recognition as a leader in early education. As the network has become a key part of the early childhood infrastructure for our state and the understanding of how critical those earliest years are for healthy child development has grown, it is time for a revitalization of Smart Start.

With the goal of building on the incredible work of the past 25 years and harnessing the new momentum of broad support for early childhood initiatives, a group of leaders from across the network spent a year evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of Smart Start visibility and reputation. They determined that Smart Start needed to better leverage the strength of the statewide network, as well as create a fresh, bold look to energize new engagement in the work.

This site provides information, tools, and resources for local partnerships to adopt and help revitalize the Smart Start brand.

The Smart Start Brand Promise

Smart Start is a nationally recognized leader in early childhood and healthy development. Our network of early childhood partnerships provides expertise, guidance and infrastructure to ensure North Carolina children receive the care and nurturing they need to thrive. Tailored to meet the specific needs of each community, we invest in early education, literacy, health and family support so that our children are ready to succeed, lead productive lives and contribute to a strong, vibrant North Carolina.

Brand Identity and Style Guide

Smart Start has been a leader in Early Childhood for over 25 years. To assist in maintaining a strong, positive reputation, we need to be clear and consistent in who we are. When it comes to brand identity, consistency is the secret to success. Repetition makes it possible for people to recognize the look, shape, feel and personality of our network. Consistency helps build familiarity, trust and ultimately, brand value. The purpose of this guide is to provide a set of standards for the design of the Smart Start logo and other visual identifiers, as well as provide uniformity in style and formatting within the brand and across multiple communications channels.

This Style Guide addresses the required production standards for Smart Start and The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC). NCPC printed communications include, but are not limited to, official documents, letters, memos, e-mails, publications, brochures, reports, and presentations. If any questions arise on the proper use of any style, font, or element please contact the Design & Brand Developer.

View the Smart Start Brand Identity & Style Guide