The reinvention of Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC’s) brand identity is among the favorite initiatives I’ve led. The goal was three-fold, first, to create a brand symbol that would work more effectively in the growing digital landscape, second, to help our target audiences shed antiquated ideas they held about the college, and third, to highlight SLCC’s value of and impact on the communities it serves. Also, it just had to be cool.
The result, after much deliberation and research, was a migration from Salt Lake Community College to SLCC, both a conceptual and visual migration (I won’t go into all that detail here). In addition to navigating a shift that impacted nearly every brand touch point, we turned our focus to SLCC’s ten campus locations across its 807-mile service area (and a few new campuses that were underway).
Each campus provided a unique opportunity to shift attitudes, position SLCC as central in the community it serves and leverage millions of positive impressions annually. By way of example, the SLCC landmark sign installed at the Miller campus faces the I-15 corridor and is viewed by an average of 110,000 drivers each day.
The investment was significant, about $150,000 for each installation. But to build our case, we compared the cost of a single billboard along these corridors, about $25,000 at the time for a two-month post, to the return of a one-time infrastructure investment, that would provide impressions for years to come.
The now iconic SLCC letters are being integrated in fun and innovative ways in community and brand touch-points across the valley, including the new Herriman campus and Technical Arts building that are currently under construction. While the initial launch was a heavy lift (city permits, electrical infrastructure, fabrication, installation, funding, etc.), the ROI is undeniable.
Plus, it’s just cool. And what brand doesn’t want to be cool?
Michael Navarre 