A standalone identity that launched a new camp into a crowded market — and drove a 95% lift in registrations year two.
Project Overview
St. Mark’s Summer is the day camp arm of St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts — an independent boarding school 25 miles from Boston with one of the most beautiful campuses in New England. The camp runs eight weeks of full-day and extended-day programming each summer, serving campers ages 3 to 14 across six grade-tiered programs, plus a CIT leadership track for 15- and 16-year-olds.
In 2022, we partnered with St. Mark’s to give their brand new summer program its own identity and its own front door for its inaugural season in 2023. The project was so successful — and so clearly suited to a specialized approach — that it became the catalyst for Wild & Wander, our initiative dedicated to camps and auxiliary programs.
The Challenge
Entering a $4.6 billion U.S. summer camp industry crowded with established players, St. Mark’s Summer knew one of their greatest challenges as they developed this new summer camp initiative was how to reach, engage, and acquire families.
The Goal: Build a brand and website that could stand out in a crowded market and attract working families well beyond the existing St. Mark’s School community, while preserving the institutional credibility the school’s name carries. Two audiences, one system.
Our Approach
With our camp logo design best practices in mind, we leaned into St. Mark’s Summer’s caring, joyful, and adventurous personality — qualities meant to inspire happiness, belonging, and a sense of possibility for parents and campers alike.
The visual identity bridges institution and energy. The color palette pairs St. Mark’s Navy with Sunshine Yellow — the school’s heritage color brought to life with the warmth of a summer afternoon. At the center of the logomark, a reimagined St. Mark’s School lion preserves the institutional thread while giving the summer program its own clear character. Parents recognize the lineage; kids see something that feels like theirs.
The website carries that energy through. A sunburst graphic and a zigzag pattern resembling the sun bring movement and color around bright, welcoming photos of kids in action — inviting parents to imagine their child’s experience before they’ve finished scrolling. UX was treated with the same intentionality: every path leads to critical information for parents and registration in as few steps as possible.
What We Built
A complete brand identity and the camp’s first dedicated home on the web at stmarkssummer.org.
The standalone site was designed for the parent decision journey — intuitive site architecture organized around the camp’s six grade-tiered programs, bold calls-to-action driving toward registration, fully responsive layouts, and an easy-to-use CMS so the St. Mark’s Summer team can keep content fresh without a developer. We also helped refine the camp’s content with SEO keywords and best practices, giving the program real search visibility for the first time. The site speaks to what working parents actually need: one-stop shopping, single drop-off and pick-up, lunch and snack included, and a clear, frictionless path to enrollment.
“We are so very pleased with our product! We appreciated Wild & Wander’s ability to implement our feedback and suggestions right up until the bitter end — with nothing but support and a smile.”
–Kristi Jacobi, Camp Director, St. Mark’s Summer
The Impact
95% increase in session registrations from 2023 to 2024. That’s the headline.
The numbers since launch tell a clear story:
- 95% lift in session registrations, 2023 to 2024
- 11% additional growth, 2024 to 2025
- As of March 2026, pacing 5% ahead of the same point in 2025
- Average sessions per camper grew from 1.12 (2023) to 1.86 (2025–26) — families who come once keep coming back
The team has also seen a meaningful drop in inbound inquiries over time — not because interest is down, but because the site is doing its job. Families find what they’re looking for, get the answers they need, and complete registration without needing to reach out. For a small ops team, that’s gold.
The success of this project — and the depth of expertise it took to do it well — is why we launched Wild & Wander, our initiative for camps, enrichment, and auxiliary programs. St. Mark’s Summer was the project that showed us this work deserved its own home.
Ready to Elevate Your Program with Camp Branding Services?
If your organization offers STEM camps, arts enrichment, after-school programs, or seasonal youth services, we’re here to help you stand out with cohesive branding, powerful print materials, and intuitive websites.
Contact Wild & Wander today to learn how we can bring your program to life—online and off.
