Inspired by the power of a pencil—a symbol of writing, revising, and the creativity that uncovers breakthrough ideas.
Pete Mackey, Ph.D.
President & Executive Strategist
February 5, 2025
Our former brand was built around the symbolism of the pencil—a tool that has always represented both the power of writing and the potential of open-ended questions. The pencil's simplicity belies its transformative strength: it begins with a blank page, invites exploration, and allows for the kind of thoughtful revision that leads to innovative ideas. The evolution of our brand reflects our commitment to helping educational institutions evolve to adapt to the changes, needs, and aspirations of the communities they serve by asking the tough, necessary questions that drive meaningful change, all while staying true to our roots in creativity and purposeful problem-solving.
Our new brand takes this symbolism a step further. In our updated logo, a pencil tip presses down through the “M,” with a ray of light emerging on the other side. This design captures how we approach our work: asking tough, foundational questions and refining ideas until we uncover strategies and solutions that can make a lasting impact.
This theme extends to the animated graphics across our new website, where the movement of graphite across a page comes to life. Together, the logo and graphics reflect our belief that solutions begin with curiosity and deep listening and grow through the acts of writing, revising, and creating.
With over 100 years of combined executive experience, we help educational institutions thrive in moments of opportunity and challenge. Like the pencil, we value humility and adaptability, embracing the iterative process of finding the right answers. Our new brand begins a fresh chapter, inspired by all that we’ve learned from the dozens of colleges, universities, foundations, and nonprofits we’ve been honored to work with over the past nine years.
If we might help serve your work, your team, your leadership, or your institution, we welcome the conversation. We promise to ask you tough questions, like the ones you’ll find on our homepage: mackeystrategies.com
