Occidental College

Where intellectual challenge meets unshakeable purpose.

Occidental College had built something genuinely distinctive. 
A fiercely engaged community, a Los Angeles campus that 
opened onto one of the world's most dynamic cities, and graduates who went on to lead, create, and serve. The brand just hadn’t caught up. 

In a crowded liberal arts market, "urban liberal arts" has become a category of its own, a way of identifying a truly unique student 
experience. Even with this categorization, Oxy was beloved on the inside but under-recognized regionally nor within its category.  A new wave of institutional energy created the moment to change that. To support immediate (Fall 2026 applications) and long-term enrollment goals, Occidental needed a brand with the confidence to match the college it had already become. 

Services

Occidental has always offered a distinctive student experience, but this work gave us the clarity and confidence to communicate it powerfully in a highly competitive landscape.

Perrine Mann
VP, Marketing and Communications

The Insight

After years of describing itself, Occidental was ready to declare itself.

Through deep immersion with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, a consistent truth emerged: the Oxy experience transforms how people think, act, and contribute. The college’s roots in activism, justice, and intellectual rigor had produced something the brand had never fully claimed. Oxy graduates lead lives of purpose, shaped by a community that pushes them to think harder, question more, and give back with intention.

That truth became the brand’s center of gravity: Occidental College is where intellectual challenge emboldens self-expression, amplifying our contribution to the public good.

The Solution

SimpsonScarborough immersed itself in the Occidental academic, living, and outcomes experience, surfacing what made Oxy irreducibly itself. Discovery shaped strategy, and strategy shaped a brand platform built to last and built to move.

The work produced a comprehensive brand architecture, including positioning, voice and tone, and four brand pillars, giving every communicator on campus a shared language. The creative expression reflects the vibrant, expressive energy of Los Angeles, while demonstrating both the rigorous and intimate nature of the campus experience. The full system launched in Fall 2025, equipping the marketing and enrollment teams to show up consistently and compellingly across every channel. Universally, internal stakeholders found the system to be unequivocally authentic but forward-facing, matching the bold vision that leadership has set forth for Oxy’s future.

SimpsonScarborough provided us with the tools through the brand articulation process to communicate our vision for the future with clarity and consistency. 

Perrine Mann
VP, Marketing and Communications

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