Rebranding a Legacy Arts Institution for Its Next 50 Years
Levine Music, one of the nation’s leading community music schools, partnered with CMYK to launch a comprehensive rebrand and redesigned website in advance of its 50th anniversary. The year-long collaboration redefined how the D.C.-based institution presents itself to students, families, and the broader arts community—modernizing its identity while preserving the spirit of excellence that has defined Levine for decades.
Offering programs from piano and harp to rock, composition, and theory, Levine’s mission is to make exceptional music education accessible to all. The new brand and website elevate that mission, aligning the school’s visual and digital presence with its reputation as a pillar of the arts.
The Challenge
Levine’s existing brand and website were dated and inflexible. The legacy identity offered little visual range, making it difficult to distinguish between programs and departments, while the old WordPress infrastructure limited staff to a few rigid templates that were difficult to update or expand.
Levine needed a cohesive system that could unify its communications, empower staff with creative flexibility, and deliver a digital experience worthy of its reputation as a leading community arts institution.
THE APPROACH
CMYK partnered closely with Levine’s marketing and leadership teams throughout a 12-month process that combined brand strategy, design, and technology. Weekly workshops, content reviews, and hands-on training sessions ensured that the system being built could be fully owned and maintained in-house.
Together, the teams restructured more than 200 unique web pages, re-architected the course catalog and event systems, and developed a comprehensive brand structure that connects every facet of the organization—from core programs to community initiatives.
Brand Transformation
The new identity centers around the Levine mark, a geometric system inspired by the layout of an orchestra. The rectangles within the mark represent the spatial rhythm of musicians on stage, symbolizing harmony, collaboration, and shared artistry. This modular structure extends throughout the design system, functioning as both logo and flexible graphic language across print and digital applications.
Typography was modernized with Buvera and Söhne, combining classic refinement with contemporary clarity. A refreshed color palette—anchored in Levine Red, Midnight, Jet, and Violet—balances legacy and vibrancy, giving the institution a more sophisticated yet welcoming tone.
To support future growth, CMYK created a system for generating logo lockups for subsidiary programs and departments. Dedicated sub-brands were also developed for Camp Levine and First Music, each featuring its own color palette and type system tailored to its audience. The result is a unified yet flexible visual ecosystem designed for long-term evolution.
Website Redesign
The new Levine website was rebuilt from the ground up on WordPress, using a block-based modular system that gives the internal team full control over design and content.
Key improvements include a restructured course catalog integrated with ActiveNet, offering improved search and filtering for students and parents; an e-commerce-enabled ticketing and RSVP system for performances and events; and a fully responsive, mobile-first layout that brings the energy of the school to life across devices.
The refreshed digital experience focuses on intuitive navigation, streamlined enrollment, and an elevated visual storytelling framework that captures the emotion and energy of music education at every touchpoint.
Results & Impact
After twelve months of development and close collaboration, the new Levine brand and website launched in October 2025 to widespread enthusiasm from staff, faculty, and the D.C. arts community. The rebrand has re-energized the organization’s communications, providing a modern, accessible foundation that supports everything from marketing campaigns to program-level storytelling.
The updated website now serves as a powerful digital hub for students, families, and supporters—streamlining class registration, showcasing faculty and events, and providing an adaptable platform as the organization approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026.
CMYK’s Perspective
This engagement exemplifies CMYK’s approach to full-spectrum creative partnership—where brand strategy, design systems, and technology development are integrated from the start.
By designing both the identity and digital platform together, CMYK ensured that every element of the brand—visual, verbal, and experiential—works in concert. The new Levine mark, modular design tools, and robust WordPress build create a cohesive system that honors the school’s legacy while positioning it for the next fifty years of innovation, education, and community impact.
