How to find a purpose that motivates?
Challenge
Pedagogstudentene is an affiliate of Union of Education Norway, the country’s largest trade union organisation for teacher students, with over 20,000 members. The organisation works to ensure that all members get the best possible education in order to enter the world’s most important profession.
All organisations have a purpose, even though it’s not always stated. The purpose is what motivates you and gives focus. It’s the stuff that gets you up in the morning. It’s what makes you decide what to study or which organisation to join. There is a lot of power and drive in this type of motivation. When we started the collaboration with Pedagogstudentene, their desire for focus and clarity was amongst the most important reasons why they wanted a new identity.
But before we started the identity work, it was important for us to uncover the organisation’s purpose. A clearly defined purpose has the quality that gives organisations and companies something to gather around. It should contribute to the focus and help those who undertake their duties to perform even better. A meaningful purpose will create a more emotional connection to its members and make it easier to develop unique experiences.
Solution
We uncovered a purpose that was about the things that a membership of Pedagogstudentene offers: fellowship, cohesion and belonging. The purpose also expresses the motivation to study to become a teacher, and it reminds everyone involved that the teaching profession is the world’s most important job. A logical consequence of this is that the students must be the world’s most important students!
With the purpose in place, it was easier to embark on the identity job. The choice of a profession in the field of education also includes a solid portion of care – for learning itself, for the students and for the future. The heart is a universal symbol for exactly that. Turned on its side it becomes a large version of the letter P. The expression is kept light and simple with a warm colour palette.
Tone of voice is an important element of this identity job. When speaking to students who are going to become teachers, it makes sense to have a certain academic approach and use language decisively. Copy is succinct and good-humoured, even though it may address serious issues, and we use the heart symbol as a playful and integrated element. We wanted to pay tribute to the teacher students and highlight the importance of the students’ choice of professional career.
“The solution helps to substantiate the story of who we are and what we are fighting for, and it helps create a common direction in the work of politics and our organisation.”
Frank Aleksander Bræin – President of Pedagogstudentene
Frank Aleksander Bræin – President of Pedagogstudentene
Result
Pedagogstudentene now have a purpose that emphasises the significant role they play in society, both as students and as teachers. They also have an identity that underlines this and can stand the test of time. The use of various messages and texts makes sure the identity stays fresh and relevant, which is very important for a member organisation that continuously relies on recruiting new members.
The new identity of Pedagogstudentene makes it clear for all students of today and tomorrow that they have a lot to be proud of, be it as teacher students or later as teachers. In the long term, this serves as a continuous reminder of how important teachers and teacher students are, and it may help to ensure that this professional group receives the priority, consideration and reward it deserves.
“Mission has made an identity that perfectly fits the organisation we are. Serious, but not pretentious. Academic, but playful. Focused, but versatile. The biggest, but passionate about the individuals.”
Jonas Ohlgren Østvik – Adviser, organisation and recruiting
