Mary Hare’s Vibrant Yearbook Design
Client Overview
Mary Hare School, the UK’s largest school for deaf children, is a national charity and non-maintained special school in Newbury, Berkshire. It educates profoundly and severely deaf students aged 4 to 19, offering both boarding and day options. The Graphic Design House has long supported Mary Hare with print and mailing services. In 2024, we expanded our partnership by designing Soundwave Magazine, delivering a complete design, print, and mailing solution.
The Opportunity
Mary Hare School entrusted us with the creation of a 32-page magazine designed to showcase the events, achievements, and experiences spanning the entire school year, from Reception to Sixth Form.
As both a valued keepsake for current families and a key marketing asset for prospective ones, this publication demanded a design that would resonate deeply with the school’s community. The team at TGDH embraced this opportunity to craft a visually compelling magazine that authentically reflects the unique identity and values of Mary Hare School.
“The design is excellent – we had an initial consultation, following which we had a concept stage and I felt Amy and the team did a brilliant job of understanding what we were looking for, capturing us as a school that has many aspects to it, and creating a fresh new look for the magazine.”
Selina Cross
Marketing Manager
Mary Hare School
Our Approach
Understanding the importance of this publication as both a yearbook and a promotional tool, we set out to create a design that would be visually engaging, meaningful, and representative of Mary Hare’s vibrant school life.
- Creative Concepts. We presented three creative design routes, each offering a different approach to the cover design, image galleries, and article layouts. The chosen design included a new masthead, Soundwave – a fitting nod to the school’s focus on deaf education. The masthead featured subtle movement in the letters, with a soundwave illustration incorporated into the letter ‘O’.
- Sectional Layout. To ensure clarity and visual appeal, the magazine was divided into sections that represented different school years, from Reception to Sixth Form. We used the Mary Hare colour palette to distinguish these sections, making it easy for readers to navigate through the magazine and highlighting the progression of students throughout their time at the school.
- Design Refinement. After receiving feedback from the initial concepts, we blended two mastheads and two design routes to create a final design that aligned perfectly with Mary Hare’s identity. This iterative process ensured that the final product was not only aesthetically pleasing but also deeply reflective of the school’s values and community spirit.
The Results
This project went beyond design. It was about capturing the essence of Mary Hare in a way that would resonate with students, parents and prospective families, strengthening the school’s brand and leaving a lasting impression.
It underscores the importance of personalised design in creating materials that truly reflect the unique character of an institution.
For Mary Hare School, serving a specialised community means creating materials that inspire as well as inform. Soundwave Magazine achieves this by showcasing the vibrant life of the school and enhancing its appeal to prospective families.
The final product was a a high-quality 32-page publication with a 300gsm silk cover and 170gsm silk internal pages. The masthead featured Spot UV finishing, adding a tactile, premium element that enhances its keepsake appeal.
By creating a visually striking and thoughtfully organised magazine, we helped strengthen the school’s brand identity and provided a lasting memento that students and parents will treasure for years to come.
Next Steps
Following the successful completion of Soundwave Magazine, TGDH is eager to continue our partnership with Mary Hare School. Our next steps involve exploring additional design opportunities for the school, focusing on further enhancing their marketing materials and communication tools. We are committed to supporting Mary Hare in its mission to provide exceptional education for deaf children and look forward to contributing to their ongoing success.
“Working with Amy also went smoothly, and I felt confident that amends were actioned accurately and that she kept the design into consideration throughout those changes.”
Selina Cross
Marketing Manager
Mary Hare School
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