Charlotte Aquatics Icon

swim with heart

Charlotte Aquatics

about the client

Charlotte Aquatics is a privately owned swim school offering lessons for all ages, from 3 months to adults. Their mission is rooted in genuine care and passion for teaching, ensuring every child feels supported, valued, and confident in the water. With a focus on safety and building trust, they aim to provide parents with peace of mind. Their family-oriented, open environment encourages parents to stay engaged and celebrate their child’s progress without barriers or walls separating them from the pool. Their extraordinary instructors bring an unsurpassed level of enthusiasm and are devoted to teaching with heart so the children not only receive exceptional instruction but also develop lifelong skills.

chirps from the client

The World University Games campaign including the brand identity, website, bid book, graphic treatments, and delegate presentation work by Hummingbird really captures and reflects the essence of our proposed host region and state. It is vibrant, colorful, and energetic. The website is informative, helpful, and easy to navigate, reflecting the wide variety and diversity not only of the Games and its participants, but also of the Triangle area. It captures the pageantry of the Summer Games and certainly helps generate great excitement for one of the largest and most important Olympic sports events on earth.

Hill Carrow, CEO of triangle sports properties
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2024 Gold Award: Website Design

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chirps from the client

"Working with Hummingbird was an outstanding experience from start to finish. We are more than happy with how both our branding and web design turned out. It truly exceeded our expectations. The final brand identity feels like us – it fully captures who we are as a business and clearly communicates the message we want to share with our audience.

Going into the process, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted in terms of our new logo and branding. I had a general sense of what we didn’t want, but struggled to articulate a clear vision for what we did. Hummingbird met that challenge with patience, insight, and creativity. They were extremely communicative, receptive to feedback, and open to revisions every step of the way. It never felt like we were “just another project” – they genuinely cared about getting it right.

Thanks to their guidance and expertise, we now have a brand and website we’re truly proud of. As we continue partnering with vendors for other areas of our business, we've received numerous compliments on the quality and professionalism of our website. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Hummingbird to anyone looking for thoughtful, high-quality design work paired with top-tier client care."

Allie LeRiche, Owner and big fish at charlotte aquatics
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Awards

2015 Silver Award: Corporate Brand Identity

Davey Awards Logo

Awards

2015 Silver Award: Corporate Brand Identity

Davey Awards Logo

Awards

2015 Silver Award: Corporate Brand Identity

Davey Awards Logo

Awards

2015 Silver Award: Corporate Brand Identity

Charlotte Aquatics Social Media
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challenge

Located in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Aquatics benefits from a large customer base due to the city’s population and high demand for swim lessons. However, strong local competition, including a larger facility with an extensive schedule and a strong social media presence opening nearby, poses challenges like potential price wars that could impact profitability. Limited space prevents offering additional revenue streams such as water fitness classes or aqua therapy, making it crucial to maximize enrollment in swim lessons. Furthermore, their outdated website and messaging highlighted the need for a refreshed brand, a defined communication strategy, and making their differentiators more obvious.

strategy

To address these challenges, Hummingbird Creative Group developed a comprehensive brand strategy, to refresh and update messaging highlighting core values, a dynamic new website, and an enhanced digital platform for social media.

SERVICES Provided

goal

When Protus3 engaged Hummingbird Creative Group, the market for IT security solutions had undergone a considerable evolution since the company first opened their doors in 1988. Competition had intensified. New threats to corporate reputations had arisen and continued to multiply like cybercrime, identity theft and fraud. Colleges and universities came under fire for failing to implement adequate security measures. The situation sparked The Cleary Act, which regulates specific measures and reporting requirements; however, many notable institutions received heavy fines for failure to comply. Corporations and institutions in all sectors recognize the need for more sophisticated systems to anticipate threats, monitor activity within their organizations and protect valuable assets. The opportunity for Protus3 to make a powerful change became abundantly clear. Executive leaders no longer view data and information security as strictly a function of the IT department. It is widely recognized that corporate security plays a key role in business strategy. When Protus3 first entered the marketplace under its original name (Risk Management Associates or RMA), the sales team primarily dealt with technically educated buyers. More than 25 years later, the buying cycle has grown more complex, involving stakeholders at higher organizational levels with less technical knowledge. Protus3 originally planned to optimize their website and make it mobile friendly in order to capture more opportunities. They engaged Hummingbird Creative Group for this purpose; however, as collaboration on the project began, Hummingbird’s focus on capturing the brand essence started to resonate. The opportunity for Protus3 to make a powerful change became abundantly clear. Clients recognize that Protus3 has proven expertise in safeguarding their assets: intellectual and real property, equipment, inventory and employee’s safety. Though few competitors can match Protus3’s solid track record in the industry and their security acumen, their brand message did not convey their strength in the market.

Charlotte Aquatics Website

solution

To reflect Charlotte Aquatics’ commitment to developing a love for swimming in a safe and nurturing environment, Hummingbird Creative Group developed a new brand identity centered around the concept of a whimsical, fun, and modern look and feel to their logo and their iconic fish. We incorporated brighter colors to reflect a fun and youthful brand with a cheerful and warm feeling.

By leveraging internal and external insights, we strategically defined detailed attributes, tone of voice, and specific archetypes to create a new messaging platform tailored to their primary and secondary buyer personas. The core message, “Swim with heart,” highlights the development of personal growth and a deep passion for swimming.

We designed a new user-friendly website featuring engaging visuals and optimized for search engines. We also established a social media presence aligned with the updated brand standards and messaging.

We designed environmental signage featuring their updated messaging and the iconic fish graphic, to be displayed prominently on the wall beside the pool to strengthen their brand identity.

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impact

  • Enhanced Brand Identity: Developing a new brand identity and refreshing the look and messaging of Charlotte Aquatics’ assets enhanced brand recognition.

  • Increased Brand Awareness:  Consistently utilizing the new messaging and visuals leads to more effective communication with the target audience, while the updated iconic fish remains both memorable and easily recognizable.

  • Improved Brand Perception: The revamped website and social media presence showcased a confident, robust brand and a compelling value proposition.

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  • CHRISTINE PETERSON, CPP, ISP
    Hummingbird gave us a clear way to talk about the brand that really resonated. They helped us get the technical information across in a language that appealed to non-technical businesspeople.
    PRESIDENT at Protus3
  • CHRISTINE PETERSON, CPP, ISP
    Hummingbird gave us a more holistic brand identity; one that better aligns with our core benefits, services, mission and culture. What we really appreciate is their down-to-Earth approach,” says Peterson. “It is the kind of relationship where we have the ability to laugh together and also have tough conversations together. They really feel like a partner.
    PRESIDENT at Protus3
  • CHRISTINE PETERSON, CPP, ISP
    We’re security professionals, not marketers, what we do is technical,” reflects Protus3 President Christine Peterson. “Hummingbird gave us a clear way to talk about the brand that really resonated. They helped us get the technical information across in a language that appealed to non-technical businesspeople.
    PRESIDENT at Protus3
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