Situation
Located in Hayward, California, just across the Bay from San Francisco, Cal State East Bay had renamed itself two decades ago but struggled to establish a compelling identity since. As an accessible, not highly selective institution in a region full of both four-year and two-year competitors, the quality of the institution and prowess of its students were underappreciated, as was the university’s significant role in transforming the lives of first-generation, marginalized, and underrepresented students.
Approach
Our research revealed a defining truth: stakeholders – students, faculty, alumni, and community members alike – consistently focused on the students first, rather than the institution itself. The university’s pride is rooted in its role as a launchpad for students who are characterized by grit, drive, and a relentless determination to succeed.
Our research also revealed that the university’s physical location carries stark symbolic significance. Serenely perched on a hill overlooking the Bay – a beautiful haven of a campus – Cal State East Bay students literally look across the Bay at the affluence of San Francisco, a world from which so many have been barred by circumstance and lack of opportunity.
And yet, Cal State East Bay students don’t merely aspire to bridge the Bay but rather to forge their own futures, on their own terms. The Bay, along with the gulf it represents, underscores the university’s unique value. On one side lies privilege and even excess; on the other, the unabashed pride of hard-working students pioneering futures not of imitation but of invention.
This dichotomy, focused on students and rooted in pride of place, became central to the brand strategy. Rather than centering the brand promise on the institution itself, our strategy focused on the pioneering attitude of Cal State East Bay students, their aspiration and determination and the transformative potential of that attitude unleashed.
We also positioned the university as a “haven on a hill,” an atmosphere cultivated to foster students’ focus and creativity, like a productive retreat for so many whose backgrounds and circumstances have offered such little margin for personal growth. This positioning also embraced the symbolic and literal contrast with San Francisco. While some institutions might shy away from such a juxtaposition, we leaned into it, framing the East Bay as a place of authenticity, resilience, and possibility – qualities that distinguish its students and the university itself.
Results
The resulting brand is bold and unapologetic, celebrating the drive and determination of Cal State East Bay students. The brand is a story of origins and outcomes, bridged by the university experience, the “haven on a hill” that is CSU East Bay. The visual identity even hints at the East Bay region, with a logo that incorporates subtle nods to the university’s geography. One of the key messaging themes, “Not on this side of the Bay,” became a rallying cry, inspiring a campaign direction that resonated deeply with stakeholders.
The brand has since been brought to life through enrollment and fundraising campaigns, driving measurable outcomes and sparking a sense of pride among students, alumni, and faculty. For the first time, an affiliation with Cal State East Bay signals something distinctive and deeply meaningful: an embrace of perseverance, transformation, and opportunity.
