College of Southern Maryland: A Brand for What Comes Next

The College of Southern Maryland serves Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties, with students pursuing very different goals. Under new presidential leadership, the college wanted an identity that honored its history while reflecting the people and possibilities ahead. The challenge was to give that diverse community a shared expression of who CSM is and what it makes possible.

Hatcher began with a brand audit, competitive analysis, and a collaborative brand navigator session. Eight focus groups, eight stakeholder interviews, and two surveys totaling 1,244 responses brought students, employees, alumni, school leaders, and community partners into the process. People wanted student-centered messaging, authentic representation, and a warmer, more energetic identity that retained a connection to the college they knew. A new logo was not initially a priority. The research changed that, and a follow-up survey with more than 800 responses helped shape the final selection.

My role as Creative Director was to help translate that understanding into a clear creative direction, working with Hatcher’s strategy and creative teams and CSM’s leadership. We needed to express both continuity and possibility: a college rooted in Southern Maryland and ready to support the next chapter of its students’ lives. Bailey Gregory led art direction and brand design, developing the identity within that shared strategic direction.

The new mark draws on the cupola of CSM’s La Plata Administration Building, connecting the identity to the college’s history and the architecture of Southern Maryland. Its three faces represent Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. The lighthouse-like form adds another layer of meaning: CSM as a guide for students navigating their options. Together, these elements gave the college a recognizable symbol of its regional role.

The logo became the foundation for a complete system of messaging, typography, color, photography, and graphic elements. We developed messages for seven audiences, a nearly 60-page brand guide, templates, and a phased rollout plan. That work gave CSM’s teams practical tools to tell a consistent story across campuses and communications while speaking to different learners and community partners.

Creative Director.

Art Direction and Brand Designer: Bailey Gregory. Developed with Hatcher’s creative, strategy, research, and account teams, in collaboration with the College of Southern Maryland’s marketing team and leadership.