Brand Philosophy
Strategy Drivers, Brand Promise, Brand Pillars, Foundation, Narrative, Voice and Tone
About the Pacific Brand
The University of the Pacific brand is not just a name, logo or motto. It is, and always will be the positive impact the university has on its students and the region.
It is important to note that from a branding perspective, the structure outlined in these guidelines is strategic, intentional and an important piece to the success of the University’s overall branding objectives.
Every time we communicate, whether it’s posting on social media, sending promotional material by mail, or talking with prospective students directly, people form opinions about Pacific based on their interactions with us.
The more consistent and confident we are when telling the Pacific story, the better our audiences will understand and trust what we have to say.
That’s why it’s so important for the entire campus community to be consistent about our brand identity—the way we represent ourselves to the world through our writing and design.
These brand guidelines provide us with essential tools necessary to ensure that communications large and small remain on brand.
Strategy Drivers
Strategy drivers are the northstar for the elements that guide our messaging and overall institutional goals.
01 Increase undergraduate and transfer enrollment. 02 Build awareness of Pacific’s return on investment. 03 Increase familiarity and perception of Pacific’s academic quality and unique programming and offerings. 04 Communicate access and outcomes to ensure prospective students know Pacific’s history of student success. 05 Leverage Pacific’s setting in California and the unique opportunities its three campuses present.
Brand Promise
California’s Private University of choice.
California’s Private.
California boasts more prominent institutions of higher learning than any other state in the country. Pacific set the standard of excellence by creating an intimate, student-centered education when it started the Golden State’s first chartered university in 1851.
University of choice.
Home to three campuses, each within one of the country’s most diverse and dynamic regions, our unique combination of academics and opportunity provides the necessary pathways for students to find (and succeed in) their career of choice.
Brand Pillars
3 to 5 core themes expressing what we do, how it’s experienced, and why it’s different.
Pillar 01: Invaluable Experiences
Education. It’s best experienced when it’s personal and applied in the real world. Pacific will remain at the forefront of experiential education, expand on it, and create even more options for students of every discipline — providing them the skills necessary to ensure a successful transition from college to career and beyond.
Proof Points
- Well respected STEM, health sciences, professional, and liberal arts programs
- Accelerated programs and customizable curriculum; 80+ majors or concentrations
- 13:1 student to faculty ratio; 23 students in the average class
Pillar 02: Indispensable Connections
The more people — professors, classmates, working professionals — a student personally knows, the more they learn about both their chosen field of study and themselves. And the more they can impact the communities around them for the good. Pacific delivers on-campus and real-world connections, building a life-long network of people who can help them with their studies and their career path.
Proof Points
- Long-standing, well-known co-op and internship programs coupled with a strong alumni network
- 91% job/graduate school placements within 6 months of graduation — White House College Scorecard
- More than 150 clubs and organizations
- Pacific ranks 30th in campus ethnic diversity according U.S. News based on 2018
Pillar 03: Unparalleled Opportunities
Pacific’s unique location in Northern California, and its three campuses across it, afford students unparalleled access to one of our nations most important and fastest-growing economic, cultural, and governmental regions. Students gain the vital experience necessary to lead on campus, in their communities, and across California.
Proof Points
- Three-campus ecosystem, connected by the values of faculty and staff across it
- 2nd highest alumni salaries of California colleges and universities
- One of America’s most picturesque campus environments
Brand Foundation
Comprehensive
Private
Diverse
Student-centered
Beautiful Campus
Northern California
Brand Narrative
The role of our narrative is to lay the foundation for writing in a distinct voice, as well as to inspire the messages we communicate going forward. No matter who or what we’re writing about, our voice should stay true to the spirit of our brand narrative and our personality.
The brand narrative is a guide and not a tool to be directly pulled from.
Since 1851, we have seen the needs that others could not see — and envisioned the first ways to meet them. We were the first chartered university in California, as well as its first medical school, its first music conservatory, and its first to welcome women.
The needs of our students and communities are ever-changing today. While some have embraced change, we’ve created it.
We’ve created a student-centered academic experience that allows students to customize and accelerate their education. We’ve created an environment that’s inclusive and supportive, giving students from all walks of life the confidence to know they’ll succeed. We’ve created a three- campus ecosystem in one of the most dynamic cultural, economic, and governmental regions in the country — preparing our students for the careers they dream of.
Through it all, we created possibility. The possibility of new futures for our students, communities, California and beyond.
Voice & Tone
Each story we tell should have a specific purpose, and an authentic tone that feels distinctively Pacific. The first step is to commit the personality words to memory, as a reference. The second step is to use the following guidelines and tips as a stylistic gauge.
Writing Tips
Be smart, not strict or overly-formal. Be encouraging, not pandering. Be determined, not inflexible. Be unified, not cliquey or unreceptive. Be positive, not overly-optimistic.
1. USE EVERYDAY LANGUAGE
Write clearly and in a straight-forward tone. Jargon, clichés, acronyms, or exclamation points can trivialize the work and confuse readers unnecessarily. Make your point quickly and precisely, and try to communicate one message at a time.
2. MAKE IT ALL ABOUT “YOU”
Use the second-person “you” or “your” to engage and motivate the reader. While everything you write will feel like it’s about us, in reality, it’s about them.
3. BE CONFIDENT, NOT ARROGANT
We’re smart enough to know that we don’t know everything. Academic rigor is made up of equal parts understanding and curiosity.
4. PROVIDE A BENEFIT
What’s in it for the reader? If you can’t answer this question, it’s time to pause and reconsider the piece.
5. BACK IT UP
Our storytelling should feature relevant points of pride, statistics, and testimonials where appropriate - but use them to support our messaging, not as a substitute for it.
6. DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE EMOTION
While facts provide strength and support to ideas, emotions create connection (and subsequent action.) Try to hone in on a single emotion you want the reader to feel.
7. GIVE THE READER SOMETHING TO DO
Always provide a single, clear call to action.