Southwestern College: Finding “The Way In”
Reframing Familiarity
When I began working with Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, the school already had strong name recognition. As the primary community college in the region, its ubiquity was also its biggest challenge: being everywhere made it easy for people to take for granted.
The task was to reintroduce Southwestern as not only a valid higher-education choice but as a well-resourced institution with real programs, real tools, and real opportunities to move students forward.
Visually, I didn’t discard the existing logo but redirected its focus. I admit that the red “SWC” letterform wasn’t the part of the logo I connected with most, but it did contain a compelling geometric sun icon that carried real symbolic weight: optimism, energy, and new beginnings. It was also something younger students could easily claim as their own—a mark with genuine merch appeal. I elevated that element as a central motif throughout the campaigns, allowing it to shine as a recognizable shorthand for progress and possibility.
Campaign 1: The Way In
“The Way In” began as a line of headline copy I wrote early in concepting. Its message was simple but layered: Southwestern wasn’t just a way forward; for many in the region, it was the way in.
Given Chula Vista’s proximity to the U.S.–Mexico border, the college’s student population naturally reflected a strong Latinx and first-generation community presence. The campaign’s language and tone spoke directly to that audience without pandering. “The Way In” became a statement of inclusion, empowerment, and access—for your career, your family, and your people.
In every visual, the yellow sun symbol acted as both literal light and metaphorical beacon, illuminating a path into higher education.
The Way In
Finding Connection and Confidence
“The Way In” was built around a simple but powerful premise: for many students in Chula Vista, Southwestern isn’t just away forward, it’s the way in. The campaign celebrated access, inclusion, and the first step toward something bigger. Each video in the series focused on real, relatable scenarios designed to show how education can open doors—to opportunity, to community, and to confidence. The tone was aspirational but grounded, speaking to first-generation and returning students alike.
Campaign 2: What’s Next / You’re Next
Our second campaign started from a simple, universal question: What’s next?
For many potential students, the uncertainty wasn’t about whether college mattered; it was about where to start.
We framed Southwestern as the answer to that question by showcasing the college’s next-level campus, next-tier programs, and next-phase resources, both academic and financial. Each ad concluded with an end card turning the question inward: What’s next? It’s you.
The copy invited students to picture themselves in motion, not waiting for opportunity but already in it. That closing reversal gave the campaign an empowering emotional lift and tied neatly back to the school’s mission.
What’s Next
Turning Uncertainty into Momentum
“What’s Next” was created for the moments when students feel unsure about their path but know they want more. The campaign reframed that uncertainty as energy waiting to be channeled. Each spot in the series used quick pacing, bright motion, and inviting copy to emphasize Southwestern’s next-level programs, resources, and support systems. The message built to a clear point of empowerment: What’s next? It’s you.
Strategy and Approach
Across both campaigns, my creative process centered on empathy. I always begin by putting myself in the shoes of the person who most needs to hear the message. For Southwestern, that meant speaking with cultural fluency and confidence rather than with the sterile language of “your future.”
The result was a pair of campaigns that humanized higher-ed marketing, making it accessible, motivational, and authentically Southern Californian in tone.
Client: Southwestern College
Roles: Art Direction, Design, Motion, Strategy
Agency: 3fold
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