City College of San Francisco - Ad Campaign - Albert Paras

ENROLLMENT ISSUES AT CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO

Since 2014, City College of San Francisco has watched its enrollment plummet by 26%—doubling the average decline seen by its California peers. Even with the massive hook of tuition-free education for residents, the seats remained empty.

The problem wasn’t the price; it was the personality. The existing campaign leaned heavily into an “urban-political” aesthetic that felt more like a call to activism than a call to the classroom. This niche branding risked alienating a broad demographic of students who just wanted a degree, while the heavy emphasis on “Free” inadvertently whispered “Low Quality.” I saw an opportunity to pivot from political undertones to professional overtones, rebranding the college as a high-value launchpad rather than just a budget-friendly option.

The Strategy: Flipping the Script on “Free”

The objective was to stop pitching CCSF as a “budget” choice and start pitching it as a “smart” one. I centered the campaign on the mantra: More [Value Proposition]. Less Debt. This subtle shift frames the education as a high-value asset and the lack of cost as a strategic advantage, rather than a sign of inferior quality.

The Visual Identity: Modern Roots

While the original logo worked, it lacked the “gravitas” needed to compete. I overhauled the brand mark using Gotham, a typeface that feels modern and bold while nodding to the college’s 1930s origins.

A Splash of Life: I added a vibrant color spectrum to represent the diversity of the curriculum.
Legacy Matters: By integrating the “Established” date, I anchored the brand in history, reminding potential students that this is a pillar of the community, not a temporary experiment.

The Photography: Community & Aspiration

I moved away from sterile campus shots toward human-centric storytelling:

Community First: Images were selected to show individuals thriving within a group, emphasizing a sense of belonging.
The “Main Character” Effect: In several pieces, I purposely used obscured or angled shots of the subjects. This acts as an aspirational mirror, allowing the viewer to literally see themselves in the scene and imagine their own future at CCSF.