West Chester UniversityRebrand
West Chester University provides a nationally ranked educational experience at an affordable price. As the University moves into the future under the leadership of Dr. Laurie Bernotsky, it’s time to consider what it will take to advance West Chester University from almost awesome to truly awesome. With the help of 20Nine, a full-service branding agency that know us well, WCU has launched a university wide branding effort to ensure the words and images we use reflect who we are.
May 2026 Update
As you know, this work kicked off in December by asking you what makes WCU great as well as where we may be missing the mark. More than 3,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends have weighed in through surveys, small group discussions, and individual interviews. In a project like this, a community as large as WCU will never agree on everything, but the feedback points to real alignment around what so many of us already know:
- WCU is trusted, respected, and seen as a supportive, high-value institution that prepares students for the real world.
- WCU attracts students from every walk of life — looking at more than GPA to welcome those who have the ambition and determination to succeed.
- WCU faculty are at the top of their field and engage students inside and outside the classroom.
- WCU is deeply woven into the West Chester community and has strong ties across greater Philly.
- WCU is committed to fostering belonging, community and pride.
These insights will help clarify the messaging we use to connect with a wide array of audiences, from students to alumni, donors, and more. We are not creating a single “tagline” for the University but rather developing a shared vocabulary we all can use to tell our story.
Beyond messaging, the visual aspects of the project are getting underway, which include an updated University logo, refreshed graphics, refined purple/gold color palette, etc. (Please note: this effort does not impact our ram/athletics graphics.) The designers have begun their work, which will continue through the summer and into the fall as we test and refine concepts.
We welcome your participation as this work moves forward this summer. If you would like to receive email updates or to volunteer for a focus group this summer, please register.
About the rebrand:
As stewards of WCU’s reputation and brand, our goal is to create greater awareness of the university — locally, regionally, and nationally. Why does that matter? Because in protecting the value of a West Chester degree, we protect the investment our students, faculty, staff, and alumni have made over the years.
We’re not just looking for a fresh logo or tagline. We’ll be creating a brand platform that will speak our truth and align with who we are and where we know WCU can go — equipping each of us to share the WCU story in ways that connect with our audiences.
About 20Nine:
The agency is based in Philadelphia with an outpost in Los Angeles. We originally retained 20Nine for our successful brand commercial that’s currently airing on broadcast in the Philadelphia market and on OTT (streaming TV) in the Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City markets.
20Nine is a purpose-first creative agency that works with partners across the education, consumer product, pro sports, and beverage industries including:
- Temple University Athletics and Drexel University
- Phillies, Flyers, and Philadelphia Union
- The Tie Bar, Nuna, FreedomPay, and Zippo
- Guinness, Cayman Jack, E&J Gallo Winery
- Muscular Dystrophy Association, Penn Medicine, Philabundance
Timeline
The rebrand process will be a collaborative, inclusive process involving the WCU community. The engagement is slated to last 11 months and will be broken into three, distinct phases:
Phase 1: Learn
Winter 2025 / Spring 2026
Phase 2: Create
Summer 2026 / Fall 2026
Phase 3: Activate
Fall 2026 / Spring 2027
Phase I: Learn: Brand Discovery and Research
This is the initial phase of the rebrand process where 20Nine will be seeking input and insights into what makes WCU, well...WCU. During this phase, the agency will begin to understand and define what WCU stands for, both on its own and in a broader context. The agency will establish a strong strategic foundation through qualitative, quantitative, and foundational research that aligns internal priorities, surfaces audience insights, and identifies whitespace opportunities.
Scope of Work Includes:
- Kick-Off
- Existing Research Synthesis
- Conduct Competitive Audit of other institutions to evaluate positioning across the decision-making journey and identify whitespace opportunities.
- Internal Stakeholder Engagement: Gather input from students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, parents, high school counselors, others
Phase II: Create: Brand Platform, Messaging, and Identity
Building on insights from the Learn phase, 20nine will develop a comprehensive brand strategy, positioning, and visual identity system for WCU including purpose, promise, personality, vision, values, and a core brand story. A strategic messaging framework will follow, with key messaging pillars to guide storytelling across audiences.
To bring this to life visually, 20Nine will explore and present three creative brand directions (Springboards) featuring logos, moodboards, voice/tone, and narrative expressions. Following qualitative and quantitative testing, they'll refine the chosen direction and expand it into a full identity system: logo, architecture, color, typography, photography, iconography, and graphic elements. The work will be codified in a Brand Guidelines document to ensure consistent application across all channels and teams.
Phase III: Activate: Brand Activation
In this phase, 20Nine will work to bring WCU’s brand to life, starting by empowering everyone who communicate the brand with the tools they need to tell WCU’s story to every part of our university community.
Includes:
- Internal Brand Launch Presentation
- Brand Guidelines Onboarding: Lead a walk-through of the Brand Guidelines focused on practical usage and key standards; coaching sessions for brand usage, tools, and applications.
- Provide a centralized digital toolkit with downloadable logos, templates, photo assets, color specs, typography, and usage examples.
- Departmental Roll-Out Kits: Brand quick guides tailored to specific departments for messaging and tone alignment.
- Core Brand Collateral Templates
- Social Media Integration
- Signage/Wayfinding
- Website Integration
The Process:
20Nine will rely on an Advisory Group throughout the process with additional opportunities for community involvement. The campus-wide Advisory Group will help 20Nine with an overall understanding of WCU through an initial kickoff meeting. The Advisory Group will be instrumental throughout each of the three phases of the rebrand.
Members of the Advisory Group:
- Derrick Addison, Jr., Student Government Association
- John Baker, Professor Emeritus
- Terry Beattie, Athletics
- Dr. Jasmine Buxton, Student Affairs
- Deb Cornelius, WCU Foundation
- Dr. Chris Hanning, Wells School of Music
- Jayelah Hayes, Graduate Student Association
- Dr. Scott Heinerichs, College of Health Sciences
- David P. L. Jones, Art + Design
- Dr. Kurt Kolasinski, Faculty Senate
- Sabrina Rightmer, Office of the President
- Nicole Ward, Construction
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Why a branding project?
A. Universities should regularly assess their brand to ensure the images and messages
it uses reflect where it is and where it wants to go. Maintaining the brand elevates
the university, reinforces its value, and strengthens reputation among students, faculty,
staff, alumni, donors and others. It is a planful, intentional part of operating the
university.
Q. Will this affect Rammy or our athletics mark?
A. This project will focus on our institutional messaging and on the logo and images
we use to promote the university including an updated University logo, refreshed graphics,
refined purple/gold color palette, etc. (NOTE: this effort does not impact our ram/athletics
marks.)
Q. How can I get involved?
A. 20Nine will be working with different constituencies across campus and will ultimately
ask for community feedback on several iterations of their creative. So, visit this
site and watch for e-mails.
Q. How long will the process take?
A. We have an aggressive goal of rolling out the new brand for the fall 2026 semester.
Q. Who will be partnering with the agency on campus?
A. You will! This is an inclusive process, so we hope you will respond when the opportunities
to weigh in present themselves. In addition to that, President Bernotsky has organized
a campus-wide Advisory Group to work directly with the agency to provide insights, feedback, and act as a sounding
board in the initial phases.
Q. How was 20Nine selected?
A. 20Nine was part of a large-scale PASSHE-wide RFP for marketing, communications, and
advertising services in 2023. Nearly two dozen agencies were selected for various
levels of support for the system from crisis communications to full-service branding.
20Nine was originally chosen as a partner for our brand commercial. After the success
of that relationship, they were asked to play a larger role in our rebrand efforts.
Stay tuned for more information and updates.