Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC)
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative (WLC) is a nonprofit dedicated to driving positive change in Wilmington, Delaware schools. As a new organization, the WLC partnered with First Ascent to develop a brand identity, website, and marketing messaging that conveys its mission and resonates with the community it serves. Built around their three core principles, “Students First. Connected Schools. Purposeful Partnerships,” our work included a bold new logo, website, social media and email assets, print materials, and merchandise design.
Scope of Work
- Branding & Identity Design
- Logo Design
- Communication Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- Website Design & Development
- Print Collateral & Swag Design
- Public Relations Support
Designing with Community in Mind
Our approach was grounded in collaboration and research. We worked closely with the WLC and consulted with students and teachers to ensure the brand identity reflected both the organization’s mission and the people it serves. Understanding the historical context of segregation—where Wilmington students often traveled long distances to attend schools outside the city—we emphasized unity and celebrated this historically marginalized community, fostering a sense of connection and pride.
“Much like when you meet a stranger for the first time, you don’t have associations with their face, and as you start experiencing that person, you gain those associations over time, so the WLC has just launched its new face.” – John Himics, as quoted in DelawareLive by Jarek Rutz.
A Strong Foundation for Connection
We designed and built a vibrant, user-friendly website for the WLC, creating a centralized hub for school information, news, and resources tailored for Wilmington students, families, and educators. With an engaging design and intuitive navigation, the website fosters stronger connections between the WLC, local schools, and the wider community it serves. The WLC’s website, social media channels, and newsletter are essential tools for transparency, community connection, and timely updates, helping the organization stay engaged with its audience.
Marketing Support
As part of our partnership, First Ascent provides ongoing marketing support to keep WLC’s messaging consistent, clear, and engaging across every platform. We develop social media content, design printed materials like presentation slides, posters, banners, and business cards, and incorporate elements like QR codes to make resources easy to access. We also create branded swag, like water bottles and tote bags, that helps WLC stay visible and build pride in the local Wilmington community.
Bringing Bold Ideas to Life:
The 2025 Educator Symposium
In June 2025, the WLC hosted its first annual Educator Symposium: Transforming Tomorrow by Making Bold Moves Today. To help promote the event and reach the goal of gathering over 200 attendees, we developed a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing campaign. The campaign spotlighted keynote speakers, session topics, and event highlights across organic social media, blog content, email blasts, press coverage, and targeted paid ads.
Paid ads promoting registration generated nearly 60K impressions and 1K clicks, with a cost-per-click of just $0.26 and a total spend of less than $250. In the lead-up to the event, we also supported updates to the WLC website, including a countdown banner on the homepage and a dedicated landing page with a built-in registration form to streamline sign-up. We designed and printed promotional assets—including posters, banners, and branded swag items for attendees—and provided day-of coverage with content-ready video footage and live social media stories.
Combined, these efforts not only helped the WLC exceed its goal with 237 registrations but also positioned the Educator Symposium as a cornerstone event for Wilmington’s education community.
Before the Wilmington Learning Collaborative even hired a team, First Ascent was there mapping out a design journey and activating a cross-district Discovery Team to co-create the identity of the WLC. They worked carefully, and within the complexity of our work, to bring to life a logo and digital footprint that spoke to the spirit of our work. From language to presentation, they continue to push our thinking around establishing a recognizable identity that reflects our mission, vision, and commitment to our school communities. I found the experience to be one that was human-centered and service-oriented. The team listened to us, welcomed shifts in our thinking, and accommodated any necessary pivots.
Laura Burgos
Executive Director, Wilmington Learning Collaborative
award-winning results
The WLC’s website has quickly become a thriving community resource, receiving 11,586 total page views from 4,326 users in the first five months. Shortly after launch, the organization’s logo and website were spotlighted by local media, and in 2024, our collaboration was honored with a Gold MarCom award.
