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A BJA Facet
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The Branding and Promotion of Bob Jones Academy
Part I - The First 50 Years
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The Branding and the Promotion of BJA
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Companies and other entities use distinctive graphic elements and lettering to brand themselves. These logos are visual communications that represent everything — tangible and intangible — that the entity is. Companies work diligently to establish and maintain the reputation communicated by their branding logo.
The same holds true of schools. Originally a heraldic crest with a Latin motto would become the seal of the school. As early as 1088 AD a school’s crest would be impressed in sealing wax on its official documents and diplomas. Oxford University (1400), Harvard (1636), University of South Carolina (1801), Clemson University (1889), and virtually all institutions of higher learning (including many preparatory schools) adopted crests which would be embossed on diplomas, painted on walls, and carved in the stonework of the school’s buildings. Much like a person’s signature, a school’s crest was used to indicate “this is official.” For hundreds of years, the school’s crest was essentially its main form of branding. Today schools often need to represent themselves in different arenas. Many schools have crests for official documents and informal logos for communications and advertising, like stationery, clothing, and drink-ware. Some schools also have eye catching or even comic logos to represent their teams. A school's logos are frequently used for promotional purposes. Variations of all the school's logos are often found in a single swag bag. The history of BJA's branding and the promotion reflects its unique development and its changing relationship with Bob Jones College and University. |
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Becoming Academy
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As the school opened in 1927, Academy was not part of its name. The high school was The Preparatory Department of the Bob Jones College and was for students who lacked a high school diploma to fulfill BJC entrance requirements. An early Bulletin says, “[T]he Preparatory Department will help boys and girls to get ready for college.” It was assumed this department would be a small portion of the new school. The first year, however, high school students comprised one third of campus enrollment.
Academy was a natural fit for the name of BJC’s “Preparatory Department.” Many military preparatory schools of the period were academies, and BJC’s high school, although co-educational, had uniformed cadets in its “military department.” There does not seem to be an official point when “Preparatory Department” became “Academy.” It appears to have slipped into usage and stuck. Gradually the high school moved toward being a separate entity. The 1930 yearbook is the first official use of The Bob Jones College Academy, giving the feel that the high school was separate but “owned” by BJC. Although the name Bob Jones Academy first appeared in the 1932 yearbook, Bob Jones College Academy was the school’s official name. Although it was in common usage, there does not seem to be an official proclamation of the name change to Bob Jones Academy; but in Greenville The Bob Jones College Academy name was discontinued. |
The 1927-28 Bulletin was the first official mention of what would become BJA. At that time, high school education was considered a BJC “department." |
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Early Letterheads
The letterheads used by principals during the school’s first 20 years were most likely designed to give gravitas to the office of principal. While they may not qualify as significant branding, they do reveal a gradual shift in the high school’s identity within the institution. The 1932 College Point, Florida stationery was short lived. By the fall of 1933 the school was in Cleveland, Tennessee. Much of the 1946 letterhead became scrap paper as the school moved to South Carolina in 1947. |
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During the Florida and Tennessee period (1927-1947), there was no direct promotion of BJA. Teams of BJC students were sent out to represent the College as they preached for various churches, camps, and other venues. Bob Jones, Sr. and faculty members also preached at similar events. The Academy may have been mentioned as they spoke about the College. The only other Academy promotion during the school's first 20 years, was the academic and financial information in the Bulletins and a few pages in the school's yearbooks.
Early Taglines Today a tagline is often part of a brand and used in promotional materials. Bob Jones, Sr. used “Interdenominational, Co-educational, Orthodox, Christian” to describe the institution, and it can be considered BJC's first tagline. It also described the Academy. Technically the schools were nondenominational and in a few years the word was changed. Since the word "orthodox" has changed in its usage, today the word “conservative” could probably replace it. In Cleveland the school’s tagline was “America’s Most Unusual College,” which changed to “World’s Most Unusual University” in South Carolina. These "most unusual" taglines were never directly applied to the Academy. |
The BJC/BJU Crest Era
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The BJC Crest served as the official, formal branding of both the College and the Academy. Academy Graduation programs featured the BJC Crest and it was on the diplomas BJA graduates received. Using the updated BJU Crest, this policy continued when the schools moved to South Carolina and well into the 21st century.
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The Bob Jones College/University Crest
Bob Jones, Jr. designed the Bob Jones College Crest in 1938. The scale represents balance — doctrinally (the school is nondenominational), academically (the school is a liberal arts institution based on a biblical world view), and practically (the school teaches how to live a Christian life in a sin-cursed world). The empty cross speaks of Christ purchasing our salvation. The open book is the Bible, and the lamp represents the Light of Truth. The motto “Petimus Credimus” translates “We seek. We trust.” BJU works to instill students with a desire to seek Biblical Truth and to trust God's Word as they live their lives. The crest was refreshed as the school became a University, and several times since. The BJU Crest with the rampant bruin was not used for Bob Jones Academy. |
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Early Promotion of BJA
As the school moved to Greenville, the BJU Bulletin grew to contain the massively expanded academic offerings. The cost of supplying copies of it to meet the Academy’s needs warranted BJA having its own, much smaller Bulletin. From 1947-50, the BJA Bulletins were a drab, 8-page booklet announcing the school's calendar, and describing its financial and academic details. (See "VIEW: Bulletin 1947-48" right.) It was functional, not promotional material.
The 1951 Academy Bulletin was re-tooled to promote the school. It was the first material specifically designed to advertise BJA. Glowing information about student life and other opportunities filled over 20 pages. (See "VIEW: Bulletin 1951-53" below.) An appealing, Academy related visual was needed for the cover. BJA, however, lacked any image suitable for such branding. The 1951-53 Bulletin features two students leaving the War Memorial Chapel. While the chapel was the location for many BJA functions, it did not directly speak of the high school. Academy Hall (now: Academy Main) was built in 1951. The 1953-55 Bulletin features the front of Academy Main. Main's front became the unofficial brand of the Academy and appeared on virtually all BJA-related materials when a visual could be used. The information inside the Bulletins changed as the school grew. The Bulletin covers featured views of the Academy Main and students until the mid 1970s. |
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The 1953 Senior Class gift was the letters for Academy Main. The same Art Deco style font was used for all campus building names.
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The Original BJA Floor Emblem
The 1960 Senior Class gift was tile for Academy Main's hall. BJU art faculty members, Darrel Koons and Carl Blair, were commissioned to design and install a tile BJA monogram in the central lobby. The black bordered, green and white monogram complemented the green and yellow walls and the cream streaked-with-green tile. As pieces of the monogram came loose and required replacement the “Don’t Step on the Emblem” slogan began. Inter-Society Council added the concept of not stepping on the emblem out of respect for the school. The threat of student violators having to scrub the emblem with a tooth-brush came later. Despite all the extra care, as a BJA branding tool, this monogram never got off the floor. 
Academy Cheerleaders of the early 1970s.
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ISC officers posed for a 1960s Vintage photo.
Despite efforts to preserve the monogram, by the time it was replaced pieces were loose.
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The BJA Monogram
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Academy societies were the dominant influence on student life in the 1970s. Society loyalty was strong, but the BJA Administration felt that an emphasis on school spirit and loyalty was needed. The Student Body Organization was challenged to build school spirit.
The 1973 Student Body Officers realized that there was no “Academy entity" around which to rally school spirit. They suggested to the BJU Administration that BJA needed a mascot and even suggested “The Academy Ambassadors” as an appropriate choice. The University Administration said, “no.” They did not want BJA to appear to be in competition with other Christian schools. That might hamper students from those schools' desire to attend BJU. (This reasoning contributed to BJA being prohibited from most competitions with other Christian schools.) At that time wearing buttons was popular. Some male society members displayed their society spirit by wearing a society button daily (even though it had to be worn inside their sports coat on Sundays). The Student Body Officers asked the BJU Administration if the “bja” monogram they were using on their stationery could be used on buttons to show school spirit on Spirit Days. Permission was granted. The Student Body Officers introduced the BJA button at a student body meeting. That semester's Spirit Day slogan was “Be True Blue and White” and on Spirit Day students were asked to wear blue and white clothing and a BJA button (or several). The initial order of 500 buttons sold out quickly. Free buttons were available for students who could not afford one. On Academy Spirit Days even BJU Administrators wore BJA buttons to chapel. 
The original BJA button had a straight-back pin (notorious for catching on certain fabrics) and sold for 15 cents.
BJA spirit buttons were used to show Academy Spirit for over 40 years. Special editions for the 50th, 75th, and 90th anniversaries of the school were produced. Different sizes and configurations were also made. Over 10,000 BJA buttons were produced before buttons fell out of favor and monogrammed uniforms made them obsolete.
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The 1973 Student Body Organization president designed a block letter “bja - student body” letterhead. It was to serve as a brand for the organization and was printed on stationery and note cards for the organization to use.
The 1973 Student Body Officers announced an up coming Academy Spirit Day at a Student Body Meeting. Students were encouraged to be sedate or flashy, but to be sure to wear blue and white with a spirit button on Spirit Day.
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The "bob jones academy" Lettering
To encourage use of the new monogram, packets of monogrammed notepaper were printed for students to purchase. Concerned that the new monogram alone might not communicate the Academy, the principal asked the BJA art teacher to quickly add the school’s name. Premade, transfer letters in a rounded, lower case font (top right) were used to generate the master needed for the notepaper.
The 1975 senior class gift was to add the monogram above the existing name on Academy Main. When the order for the monogram was sent, the only available print of the monogram was the student notepaper. Mistakenly, the company made the monogram and the school’s name from the notepaper (middle right). This font for the school’s name was only used in these two places. When members of the Class of 1953 asked what happened to the building letters they had given, the letters were installed on the Quadrangle side of the original Hutto Building (bottom right). |
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The 1975 Senior Class gift was new lettering for Academy Main.
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In 1974, with plans to carpet the hallway in the near future, the Academy Principal asked the BJA art teacher to instal the mosaic monogram in the lobby of Academy Main.
The 1976 Sprit Squad posed in their cheerleading outfits at the first Spirit Booth. Their outfits and the booth featured the original BJA monogram.
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The mosaic monogram in the Academy Main lobby is the only originally shaped monogram still in use today.
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The BJA Monogram Is Refreshed and Becomes Official
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In 1976 the University’s Art Agency was working on a BJU branding refresh for the school's 50th anniversary. BJA was to be included. Part of the goal was for the Academy to have a distinct appearance but remain a part of BJU’s branding. Since the BJA monogram was already well known, the Art Agency asked the Student Body Organization if they could use their monogram. Of course, permission was granted.
The monogram was longitudinally compressed, vertically expanded, and inner margins were rounded, giving the monogram a more visually pleasing appearance. The font for the name of the school was the same as that used in BJU's branding. The University Crest was still used on diplomas and often appeared with the monogram on formal occasions. The tagline for the high school during the late 1970s through the 90s was “An Educational Ministry of Bob Jones University.” 
Official Academy letterhead. The phone numbers reach University departments.
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BJA's First Promotional Campaign
Generally developing a branding design is the first step in an entities’ advertising. Not so for BJA. From its founding, those familiar with the College and later the University knew of the Academy. Knowledge of BJA grew primarily by word of mouth. In Greenville, BJA promotion had primarily been through The Academy Singers and other musical groups preforming in local church services. There was also "Teen Time," a short, Saturday radio program produced by BJA and aired live on WMUU. These promoted BJA without using any visual branding.
Thanks to the Student Body Organization's efforts to increase school spirit, BJA had stumbled into its branding monogram. As promoting the school became necessary, that branding became useful. In the 1970s BJA’s enrollment continued to grow, but the make-up of the student body shifted. As the University grew, the percentage of benefited students (those whose parents were employed by BJU and received free BJA education) increased significantly. At the same time, the Christian Education movement was growing in America, and many churches, including some in the Greenville area, were founding schools. This decreased the number of dormitory students and the number of town students BJA was attracting. These students, however, were the primary source of BJA's income.
The need to increase paying-student enrollment prompted BJA's first separate-from-the-University promotional campaign. A promotional brochure designed to fit in envelopes was prepared. It was included in University mailings and was sent to individuals known to have children that were potential students or that expressed interest in the Academy. 
BJA's first promotional brochure 1975
Faith for the Family, a BJU magazine (1973-1986), featured BJA promotions produced by the Academy’s art teacher (below). This was the first attempt to attract dormitory students to the Academy. Those who expressed an interest were contacted by the University's Director of Admissions. They were sent a letter, the promotional brochure, an Academy Bulletin containing descriptions of the advantages of being a BJA student, and an application form. While these promotions did generate inquiries, based on the number of applications returned, these ads were not an extremely effective promotional devise.
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The Academy Singers rehearse - 1957
Triangle article about Teen Time - 1955
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The number of students from town increased. Students living in the dormitories also grew. However, the ratio of tuition-paying students declined. As the University added various ministries (BJU Press, School of Applied Studies, Elementary School, etc.) the number of benefited students outpaced the growth of the tuition-paying student groups.
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The history of BJA's branding and promotion continues in Part II - Years 50 to 100
