OCC’s New Logo Celebrates 50 Years

Orange Coast College has a new campus logo that uses the image of breaking waves to spell out OCC.

Done in orange, navy and white--the new school colors--the icon replaces a seascape with setting sun that had appeared for 14 years on the college’s stationery, business cards, flags, posters, publications and novelty items. Campus officials said the old image is too abstract.

On the new logo, a circle surrounding the graphic represents the letter O, and the profiles of the waves inside are shaped like the letter C. The design represents the college’s location near the coast and uses the initials for easy recognition, campus spokesman Jim Carnett said.

Dwayne Moses, a graphic designer in the college’s publications department, created the logo in a campuswide contest. A committee of students, faculty, staff and administrators chose Moses’s drawing from those of five finalists.

Following direction from the committee, Moses and fellow campus designer Signe Johnson modified the original drawing to come up with the final version.

The college began revamping its symbols last year in anticipation of its 50th anniversary next year. Choosing images are key in redefining the college’s visual statement for the next century, Carnett said.

New colors were selected last spring, retiring the red, black and white that the college had used for 40 years.

Nearly 1 million students have taken classes at OCC since the Fairview Road campus opened in 1948, officials said.