Hillbrook's Visual Identity
Balancing Continuity & Change
We Are Always Evolving
Since our beginnings in 1935, we have grown with the times to offer transformative education for curious young people. Our curriculum has evolved to keep pace with leading-edge pedagogical research, our community has evolved to become more diverse, and the face we show to the world has evolved to represent all of this growth. Each logo that you see above represents a different era of our school and we are excited to introduce the latest evolution of the Hillbrook brand identity.
More than 91 years into our story, Hillbrook is still growing
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Four years ago we founded our Upper School, extending the Hillbrook journey through 12th grade — and this fall marks our first year offering the complete 9th–12th experience. -
This connection to San José extends the reach of our community, opens our students up to new experiences, and grows the impact of their work. -
The work driven by the Scott Center For Social Entrepreneurship is permeating our culture and curriculum and feeling more fully integrated each year.
As a school evolves, its visual identity should evolve as well.
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Through conversations with many members of the school community in 2025, we heard that the current visual identity doesn’t fully represent Hillbrook. -
The community didn’t see our new San José campus or the fullness of the Hillbrook experience represented in the logo. -
We also heard that a school as diverse and multifaceted as Hillbrook deserves a vibrant color palette.
Every organization must balance continuity and change.
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After considering a bigger departure, we decided to evolve and enrich our iconic tree logo to better tell our story. -
We solicited creative input from our student community that inspired our logo evolution — see below! -
An energetic, emboldened color palette, rooted in the natural world, showcases the complexity of the Hillbrook community. -
Renowned Hillbrook art teacher Ken Hay is coming out of retirement to craft a new sign that you’ll see on the Los Gatos campus this fall!
Hillbrook's New Logomark
Take A Closer Look
A. Arch design tying together two campuses and representing a sunrise of new opportunities for Hillbrook
B. Hillbrook tree reimagined
C. Los Gatos campus
D. San José and Upper School campus
E. Roots added to show our legacy can never be taken away
F. New typeface that feels contemporary yet nods to our past brand evolutions
Three Divisions of Inspiration
How Our Students Helped Shape Our New Logo
7th Grade Student
"My logo is the right one because it represents both the city campus of the high school and the rural campus of the lower and middle schools. The road represent Hillbrook as a whole and the bridge represents the Scott Center which connects us together. There’s a city and country side and that’s what the 'bridge' connects."
7th Grade Student
"Our objective was to create an iconic mark that feels both timeless and forward-looking. The simplified canopy tree — an enduring symbol of Hillbrook since its founding — conveys growth, wisdom, and stewardship. It iconically reflects the original campus to anyone who has walked its grounds."
2nd Grade Student
"One school, two campuses. The logo copies the over-the-door arch design that's unique to the San José campus (and with an arch that people associate with academia) and puts it over the Oak tree that's been the stalwart of the Los Gatos campus for 91 years."
10th Grade Student
"I believe my logo is an idea for the school because it sticks with our tradition of the tree that has been in the school's history... I really just think the tree part of the graphic should be considered, and I feel like the symbols are too crowded and busy, but this is just an idea to consider. I also put the two buildings at the bottom to represent the upper school and the lower school."