We Are Cleveland State University! CSU Launches New Brand Initiative, Logo

Published on Thu, 01/19/2023 - 10:59

Cleveland State University has launched a new brand identity and university logo to better shape and convey our story to the world.

The launch follows our significant progress implementing CSU 2.0 – our ambitious vision for the future –that includes new strategies to drive enrollment, enhance the student experience, strengthen engagement with alumni, and to drive economic development in Northeast Ohio.

Following concentrated research and collaborative creative development, the refreshed brand identity unifies a comprehensive brand strategy with recruitment, communications materials, storytelling and a new institutional logo that conveys our role as a modern, urban beacon institution.

The Process

As CSU grows into the vision of CSU 2.0, we want to tell the proud story of CSU in a way that resonates with potential students and their families. We want to paint a picture that captures the CSU experience, spirit and energy. For insight and inspiration, we turned to our community — our students, alums, employees, scholars and community partners — to tell us what you see in CSU.

We learned what people truly value in our mission. We heard stories of inspiration, determination and innovation and how CSU transforms lives and why people choose to be here, on this campus. Among the findings:

Access to a world-class education with a wide range of practical, affordable and industry-relevant components;
Loyalty to core values and a vision to be (and remain) a catalyst for economic and social mobility;
Emphasis on the tenacity, empowerment and persistence that our community has, which includes a significant number of first-generation college students and underserved populations;
Uplifting generations to unlock potential through hands-on research, scholarship and cutting-edge resources that support students’ determination to complete their studies and flourish;
Underscoring CSU’s role in transforming the future of our community as a beacon institution.

It became clear that unifying all these factors with a visual identity, modern voice and authenticity would help create and reinforce a stronger brand recognizability in Cleveland, the region and state.

Our Story

Great brands tell a story and Cleveland State University has an amazing story to tell. Before prospective students and families arrive on our campus, we want them to feel inspired by — and connected to — the members of our community.

We’ve graduated more than 140,000 students since our founding in 1964, and we have more graduates who live and work in Northeast Ohio years after graduation than any other public university in the state.

Our faculty and staff are all focused on the support and success of our students. Our students are participating in cutting-edge research and innovative academic programs that have the potential to shape their future and the future of their communities. We have continually been recognized for our ability to graduate students who face economic disadvantages and other barriers to education.

Our University is a catalyst for empowered students, engaged communities and groundbreaking new knowledge.

This is the story we want to tell. It’s a story about determination and success, in our classrooms, laboratories, studios, theaters, and on our athletic fields and courts. It’s a story about the lives and communities we transform. It’s a story about Cleveland.

It’s a story about us, because “We are Cleveland State University!”

And so, we are launching a new brand for Cleveland State University.

Our Brand and Tagline

And with every website, video, ad, and communication we will send one clear message with the simple proud tagline:

We are Cleveland State University.

Our new brand positioning creates a platform to tell our CSU stories from across our diverse campus to support our vision. It also:

Creates an emotional connection
Differentiates us in the market by highlighting our unique CSU stories
Focuses on internal and external audiences
Allows for customizable on-demand story-telling
Celebrates the individuals who make up our collective “We” at CSU
Brings us together as One Campus with One Mission.

Our New Logo

Our new logo celebrates our heritage, gives a nod to this strong and supportive community and quite literally outlines our position as an anchor institution in beautiful downtown Cleveland.

The university green “C” and “S” represent the heritage of determination and resiliency of our CSU brand.
The fresh green “U” represents the innovative, collaborative, inclusive, supportive individuals of our CSU community, as well as our urban campus.
Iconic Rhodes Tower in the Cleveland Skyline represents our place in downtown Cleveland – one of our greatest assets.
Our new logo mark supports and embraces our new brand positioning.

Let’s Get Started

In alignment with our goals of attracting new students and faculty and anchored by multi-million-dollar investments in research, initiatives to advance student success and the development of new programs and partnerships, we feel reinvigorated. Inspired. Resolute.

We hope you share our excitement. Our transition to this brand begins today and will continue to roll out over the coming year.

Today, our brand speaks to who we are.