HMH

Our post-COVID world has dramatically increased the challenges facing education and fundamentally changed how students learn. With that has come an explosion of tech platforms and teaching resources, allowing educators to tap more sources of content than ever before. But what was originally meant to make teachers’ lives easier has had the opposite effect—more options and more technology have led to more legwork and less educator confidence in the efficacy of tools available to them.

HMH, previously known as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, has always been at the forefront of K-12 education. They knew the ideal future state is one that brings together the very best of technology with the very best of teacher-driven engagement. That’s why HMH integrated its proven curriculum, assessment and professional learning solutions into an end-to-end, insights-driven platform. It's a business transformation that not only offers educators more effective tools and simplifies their lives, but ultimately delivers better student outcomes. 

The only problem? Despite its enviable brand awareness, many audiences still see HMH as a static textbook provider, rather than an innovator with dynamic solutions for today’s education environment. HMH needed a brand that would telegraph ​its role as a digital-first innovator, while staying relevant to the educators who know and trust the company.​

Our first step to creating the new HMH brand was identifying the unique role it could play in education. For this, we went right to the source: we talked directly to educators. What we found? That the tools and resources kids need to learn change faster than a static textbook ever could. This was a moment to harness tech, data, and new approaches to make education smarter.

With input from over 1,500 educators, we identified a core set of needs that HMH can deliver: flexibility, ease of use, and engaging learning experiences. From here, the emotional hook surfaced: being able to create growth for every student, no matter the circumstances.

With that in mind, we landed on the big idea: Growth in motion. It captures HMH’s promise to power learning that adapts to student needs and continuously identifies ways for them to make progress—in the moment and over time.

The new visual system symbolizes HMH’s transformation from a traditional publisher to an adaptive learning company that accelerates progress for every student.

The logo features three ovals that allude to HMH’s proven expertise in curriculum, assessment, and professional development and the relationship between students, teachers, and administrators. The shapes interact as bodies held together by mutual forces of attraction—and together the ovals move in a subtle upward trajectory in constant motion, change, and growth.

The logo is complemented by a visual system that conveys how HMH moves, adapts, and learns to help students and teachers. It features bold visual devices that evoke how technology can fuel growth: an eye-catching, vibrant color palette, imagery that celebrates kids’ uniqueness and the heroism of teachers, clean, simple typography with a sense of personality, a contemporary illustration style, and more.

We then created a signature brand voice to further bring the big brand idea to life. The voice, the “creative co-pilot,” emulates how HMH works with the audiences it serves: as an experienced, dynamic force with a passion for what works. A skilled and steadfast partner that provides vital tools, information, and decisive guidance, exactly when needed.

To help rally HMH employees and engage educators globally, we worked with the HMH teams responsible for bringing the brand to life to create a comprehensive rollout plan. The plan outlined how to capitalize on key moments (back-to-school) and tools (multiple creative trainings) to socialize the upcoming change, with as much efficiency as possible.

The new HMH brand was introduced to the world officially on July 18, 2024, poised to accelerate growth for students and educators across the globe.