Student-Designed Logo and Community-Driven Process Reinforce College’s ‘Learning in Action’ Approach
For more than a century, SUNY Cobleskill has been a home for hands-on education where students discover their purpose through immersive learning. This fall, the College is taking a decisive step in articulating that mission more clearly by rebranding to SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech, emphasizing its renowned programming in the fields of agriculture and technology. The rebranding includes a refreshed visual identity, messaging grounded in extensive campus community input, and a new logo designed by current students.
“This rebrand represents more than a visual refresh. It is a bold repositioning and declaration of who we are and who we’ve always been, a public regional higher education institution serving the public good,” said Dr. Marion Terenzio, President of SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech. “We are intentionally leaning into our long-standing distinction which continues to set our course and distinguishes our mission within the higher education landscape: a ‘learning in action’ approach reinforced through an interdisciplinary perspective, critical thinking, and practical hands-on learning.
“At a time when the world needs innovative solutions to feed a growing population and address environmental challenges, our students are directly addressing the future as they learn on a living, working campus, conduct undergraduate research, and develop the technical and critical thinking expertise that employers and society demand. This rebrand illuminates our mission and amplifies the power of what has always made this place special: an educational approach where learning is not passive but dynamic and immediately applicable to future careers,” said Dr. Terenzio.
The rebrand emerged from research and engagement with and among the campus community through an internal Branding Committee. The SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech branding began to take shape through brand discovery exercises and conversations, leveraging decades of lived experience of our faculty and staff members making up the committee. Noted brand consultant, Colin Connor was brought in to add invaluable expertise, helping to direct focus groups with constituencies across campus, analyzing the findings and messaging for bias, and honing our articulated brand principles.
Through this work, the College developed its new brand pillars: purpose-built programming that prepares students for careers from day one, hands-on learning in field-based and laboratory settings, and a close-knit community that fosters a deep sense of belonging on our 900-acre campus. These pillars support the brand promise of offering students a dynamic educational experience and immersive approach that prepares them for a professional life that is both rewarding to them and beneficial to the world.
SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech is proud of its cost-effective, community approach to this rebrand and that student voices were central to bringing this vision to life. The College’s in-house Marketing and Communications team, with decades of combined experience, led the creative direction and brand implementation project. The new logo was designed by graphic design student Saro Karageozian (Albany, NY), a student assistant in the College’s Marketing Office, with contributions from students Jacob Galvin (Esperance, NY), Mickey Polsinelli (Schenectady, NY), and Tristen Wcislo (Sharon Springs, NY).
The refreshed visual identity honors the College’s affinity for the surrounding rolling hills of Schoharie County, while introducing shades of green alongside the “Cobleskill orange,” colors representing growth, sustainability, and the outdoor laboratories that fill our campus with life.
“My main focus with this logo was to present the rolling hills in a modern and clean fashion,” said Karageozian. “I believe the rolling hills of Cobleskill are some of the most unique environmental features here. You see them every day when walking or driving to class. The design is simple and minimalist, evoking the hills and growth of a landscape in bloom, but also leaving room for interpretation on the viewer’s part.”
In support of the new branding, the College has released a Brand Guidebook, a roadmap for consistency in communicating the brand identity. The Guidebook outlines SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech’s strategic differentiators, including its distinctive Ag & Tech identity, student-centric approach, and campus-as-a-lab philosophy, while establishing clear standards for visual identity, verbal tone, and naming conventions. View the Brand Guidebook.
