CSM Refines Brand with Student-Centered Vision; Unveils New Logo

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) unveiled its new institutional rebrand and logo to all faculty and staff Aug. 16 during the college’s 2024 Convocation – a collegiate tradition that brings college employees together for a day of planning before the fall academic semester begins. The new brand represents the college’s identity, values and reputation, and embodies how students and the community experience CSM.

The college’s old logo – a stylized yellow graduation cap – has been replaced by a new one modeled after the cupola on the Administration Building at CSM’s La Plata Campus. As the centerpiece of the visual rebrand, the new logo is the third logo in the college’s history, and it is meant to evoke the historic architectural style that embodies Southern Maryland’s regional character. The three faces of the cupola represent inclusivity and the three counties CSM serves – Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s. The cupola’s resemblance to a lighthouse offers dual significance. Not only are lighthouses practically synonymous with Southern Maryland’s extensive coastline, they offer a metaphor for the role CSM plays for its students — as a point of reference to help navigate opportunities and obstacles along their paths. 

“Over the past year, our award-winning Marketing team has engaged with our community—students, employees, and residents—to understand how they see the College of Southern Maryland,” explained CSM Associate Vice President of Marketing, Admissions, and Recruitment Avis McMillon. “Through these conversations, we’ve refined our brand to better connect with our audiences and reflect what truly matters to us – our students.”

The new slogan at CSM is “Your Pathway to Possibility.” It is a slogan that has been used several times in recent years for various CSM’s communication campaigns and is one that resonated deeply with community members during the stakeholder meetings and interviews.

At Convocation, McMillon shared that CSM is uniquely positioned as the only postsecondary institution in the tri-county region that meets the needs of every type of learner with accessible, high-quality, and affordable educational opportunities. She then highlighted the characteristics and qualities that the new CSM brand represents to include being welcoming (inclusive and approachable); being committed (passionate and devoted); being supportive (caring and encouraging); being energetic (engagement and dynamic); and being future-focused (innovative, forward-thinking and goal-oriented).

“We are all ambassadors of the CSM brand,” McMillon told the CSM team. “Everything that we do and say—whether in the office, classroom, or even while wearing our branded apparel in public—reflects our institution.”

To learn more about CSM’s new look, please watch the video below or visit https://www.csmd.edu/brand/story/index.html.