Sidwell Friends Debuts New Identity System

Redesigned seal harkens back to earlier renditions and optimizes for print and digital use

Sidwell Friends School has introduced a new identity system that includes a new School seal and a streamlined companion mark that can be used in a wide variety of applications in both print and digital forms.

While retaining many elements from the past, the new marks are more boldly drawn to hold their weight when used in different sizes and formats. They also restore symbols that were lost to time as the seal evolved—often without great intentionality.

Since its first iteration in the early 20th century, the Sidwell Friends seal has changed shape and form many times. This type of evolution was common in the era before digital reproduction. Designs tended to change in small ways depending on who drew them and how. Symbols were transformed. Features were added. Details got lost.

The new seal and system rectify that and will carry the School’s identity—and its values and traditions—well into the future. The community will begin seeing it appear in more places in the coming months.

Many elements of the new seal are familiar. The school’s name is still at the top, with its Washington, DC location at the bottom. The founding year of 1883 remains and the redrawn shield at the center displays the School’s Latin motto, Eluceat Omnibus Lux: Let the Light Shine Out from All, which was added in the 1990s.

But the changes are evident. The new design reintroduces a circular shape to the seal—something that was there in the beginning. A brightly lit torch replaces an unlit lamp. And a tree now takes the place of one of the books. Trees, which symbolize knowledge, growth, and the endless quest for understanding, are frequently associated with Quaker education. For Sidwell Friends, they also connected deeply to the School’s deep commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Bridging the past and future, the new seal serves to honor the School’s founding history and heritage while focusing on the dynamism of this and future generations.

The new identity system was designed in partnership with Pentagram. 

Watch below to see the evolution of the Sidwell Friends School seal.