After several months of hearing from the San Diego community and listening to students, faculty and professional staff, the San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) is getting a brand makeover.

Necessitated by a need for more cohesive messaging, SDCCE partnered with Carlsbad-based GradComm in developing the months-long rebranding initiative, the first such project of its kind at the college in well more than a decade. The aim: ensuring even more people in the region are aware of the College of Continuing Education and its impact on building the regional economy and transforming lives. 

The initiative includes a new visual identity, new motto (Forward Together), new logo, new wordmark, new colors (purple as a primary color; yellow, blue and red as secondary colors), a new brand style guide, templates for social media, a cohesive strategic marketing plan to guide messaging, consistent use of standardized fonts (Montserrat with a dash of Cervantes) and more. Messaging themes include “Let’s Go,” “Let’s Dream,” “Let’s Grow,” and “Let’s Succeed.”

The rebrand, which was unveiled to the college community at fall Convocation, will be rolled out to the public over the next several weeks. 

“As our historic college continues to evolve as a pillar of our community, it’s imperative that our brand also evolve,” said SDCCE President Tina M. King, Ed.D. “Our goal is to enhance awareness of this historic college and our extensive wraparound services, further build community engagement, boost name recognition, and maintain a consistent image and voice, all of which are critical in positively impacting greater numbers of students from some of our region’s most underserved communities.”

GradComm’s research involved organizing focus group discussions in English and Spanish at the Educational Cultural Complex in Southeast San Diego and launching a phone survey of more than 500 community member in both English and Spanish in May and June. More than 2,000 people in all were contacted, and when asked for three words or phrases to describe SDCCE, respondents often cited affordable, accessible, and high-quality. 

But the community survey also found that more effective marketing and branding is a must, with more than half of respondents saying they were not at all familiar or knowledgeable about the college.

The rebrand will be promoted on various media platforms, community events, and the college webpage – www.sdcce.edu

Founded in 1914 on the principles of inclusion and social justice, SDCCE is among the largest providers of noncredit, adult education in California and welcomes every immigrant, every refugee and every member of the region’s underserved populations seeking to fulfill their career and educational goals. It has a rich history of contributions to the national and local Civil Rights movements, and its career education programs alone contribute approximately $250 million annually to the regional economy.

Although new to SDCCE, GradComm has worked extensively with North Orange Continuing Education, Southwestern College, MiraCosta College, Cerritos College, and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, among others.