By Victoria Mejicanos, March 11, 2025
A recent post on Cal Poly Pomona’s subreddit page sparked a conversation about student involvement in the rebranding initiative after highlighting similar elements between the new logo and an independent student project posted online in 2019.
From the CLA Building framing the design to the gold outline to the use of the horse stables as a focal point and even abstract palm trees, many commenters noted the similarities.
Aaron Ung, the former architecture student who designed the logo referenced on reddit, said although friends of his might think his ideas have been stolen, he views the similarities as inevitable and purely coincidental.
“I think when we design logos, we try to use, or a good logo will use elements that are familiar to most of the audience,” Ung said. “And, with the CLA (Building) being taken down and all, the next most recognizable landmark on campus, I think, would be the student union stables.”
Amon Rappaport, CPP’s senior associate vice president for communications and chief strategic communications officer, said the Reddit post was the first and only time anyone involved with the creation of the logo had seen Ung’s design, and it reaffirmed they had used the correct symbolism in their design.
Besides the similarities, the post also raised questions as to why visual communication design students were not more heavily consulted to help with the campaign to cut costs to the $4.1 million-dollar price tag and put the new “become by doing” motto into practice.
Elizabeth Alderete, a visual communication design student graduating this spring, shared her disappointment in not having more hands-on activities available for all students in her major. She called the similarities between the designs “really bothersome.”
Alderete chose CPP for its “learn by doing motto” and was expecting to get real– world experience through her classes by working on a senior project like her partner, who is a mechanical engineering student.
“Unless we work with the school and have a paid job with the school, which a lot of us don’t, we don’t really have anything with an outside project or connection,” Alderete said.
Not only are VCD students frustrated with the lack of hands– on involvement, but so are faculty. In a statement to The Poly Post, Department of Art professor Raymond Kampf shared his disappointment for the lack of input allowed for students and faculty.
He said this is the second time in 10 years the logo and branding for CPP has been executed without input from VCD faculty and students.
“I am disappointed, again, with how the administration has left the Art Department, home of the Visual Communication Design Program, out of the process,” Kampf wrote.
According to Kampf, there are more than 500 students in the VCD program, which focuses on how visual imagery is used to communicate ideas and messages to a viewing public, which includes branding and logo design.
“The VCD Faculty are competent, able, and professional designers, who are experts in the field and our focus is to educate our students,” Kampf wrote. “As academics, we could have developed a special class in which our students would have “Learned” about making a corporate logo “By Doing” a corporate logo.”
Rappaport said several VCD students serve as Strategic Communications student assistants and are currently working on creating a sub-branding system for colleges and divisions at CPP, and have helped with aspects like stickers handed out at launch events for the campaign and are paid for their work but that outside help besides that was needed to make the campaign a success.
“We are leveraging student, faculty and staff talent to the full extent possible for this campaign,” Rappaport said. “Some of it’s voluntary, some of it’s paid. But the size and the scope of this campaign really necessitated that we hire, in addition (to students), outside experts who have done this successfully for other universities.”
According to Rappaport, there was also a diverse group of students from a variety of majors constantly giving input throughout the development and implementation of the campaign, such as Associated Students Inc. leadership, marketing and communication courses and professors in the College of Business Administration.
“We’ve done a lot of research with students and prospective students representing the full diversity of the university to inform the development of the become by doing campaign,” Rappaport said.
Another element of the campaign that has been noticeably student– centric is the inclusion of CPP students in social media videos to promote the campus. According to Rappaport, the deans and communicators of each college were asked to nominate what the strategic communications team calls “heroes” who embody the new “Become by Doing” slogan.
“And then we, you know, narrowed that down, and again, very consciously, took gender and ethnicity and so on into consideration,” said Rappaport. “We picked three primary heroes.”
A fourth student did the voice over work for the video. All students featured in the video were paid for their work in filming and voiceover, and students in the background were compensated for their time with Bronco Bucks.
Ung designed his logo as a passion project in the summer after he was admitted to CPP after seeing the campus community’s negative response to the 2018 rebranding online.
The most he had seen with the 2018 logo was a change in banners and merchandise sold in the Bronco Bookstore, with no additional advertising, videos or events.
“I think the rollout is definitely more present than the rollout of the 2018 effort,” Ung said. “I noticed on Instagram, they have an entire social media campaign, which wasn’t noticeable during the time that I went to Cal Poly (Pomona).”
According to Rappaport, given recent budget deficits, the campaign can help.
“With the current budget challenges, and CPP’s state funding now tied to meeting enrollment goals, it’s critical that we elevate awareness of our excellence to attract students and convince them to choose CPP,” Rappaport said. “The ‘Become by Doing’ campaign is designed to do just that.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP’s subreddit post