California State University:
The Class of 3 Million
Brand development, Strategy, Design
Credits
Branding & Creative Direction:
Bob Nenninger
Project Lead:
Kathleen Krogius
The California State University system had a significant milestone happening: They were going to graduate their 3 millionth alumni. This was a huge achievement that no other university system could lay claim to. They rightfully wanted to celebrate and bring attention to this remarkable event.
The Class of 3 Million was our solution.
The Findings
The CSU is an impressive institution that has been instrumental in laying the foundation for the strength of the California economy. However there had been confusion among many regarding which campuses were part of the system. Some of the CSU campuses proudly displayed their association while others were not as active. This inconsistency has led to much confusion as to the scope of the CSU system as a whole.
The graduation of the 3 millionth alumni is an achievement that no other university system can match. This was the time to set the record straight and recognize the CSU for what it is, an effective and impressive system of higher education that has fueled one of the largest economies on earth.
Our Solution
The big question was: How do we get every living graduate – all 3 million of them – from 23 different, and sometimes competing universities, to feel connected to this celebration? This was a big task.
Looking back at the tradition of education, we found something that embodied the spirit of unity that all classmates from all backgrounds can feel for their shared educational experience.
The Yearbook
The best way to bring all of these alumni together is to connect them all like you would a graduating class! That's when The Class of 3 Million was born.
And now that we had a name for our unique class of alumni, they needed a unifying place to come together. Like the yearbooks of old, we came up with the concept of an online yearbook where all alumni can easily register, connect, explore and feel proud of being a part of something really big.
The Class of 3 Million: The Yearbook
The Class of 3 Million: The Rollout
