— Symbolizing a New Era of Excellence and
Accessibility of a Modern University —
—New unified look for the University and its Athletics
Program—
FAIRFAX,
Va., April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
George Mason University unveiled a
completely redesigned logo as the capstone of its three-year-long,
comprehensive rebrand. The new look, which will include a single
logo for the university and its athletics program, asserts
George Mason's emerging identity as a
national top 50 public university and Virginia's top-ranked university for
innovation and upward mobility, as well as the commonwealth's
largest, most innovative, and most diverse university.
New look asserts George Mason's identity as Virginia's largest, most innovative, and most
diverse university.
The ongoing rebrand signals George
Mason's convention-defying rise to become a leading national
public research university by expanding access to excellence
through an unwavering commitment to inclusive innovation. The
rebrand rollout began in 2021, with preparations to mark 50 years
of George Mason as a university in 2022
with updated brand narrative that proclaims the university's
distinct approach to education as All Together Different. The logo
system now matches this brand language.
"Higher education in America is at an inflection point, with
families having a harder time finding a top-quality, affordable
college education at a university that will actually admit them,"
said George Mason President
Gregory Washington. "George Mason has always offered these things, but
few families know of this value because our brand and message have
not been adequately heard. This new look is our reintroduction to
the community, and a symbol of our commitment to the fundamentals:
outstanding and rigorous academics, pragmatic career preparation
and internships, flexibility and value, and an atmosphere of
belonging for everyone."
George Mason has grown from a small
regional college in the 1970s into the youngest institution ever to
earn Carnegie Tier 1 research university status, as well as
Virginia's top-ranked university
for such high-demand and varied disciplines as cybersecurity,
business entrepreneurship, homeland security, criminology, and
forensic sciences. It also established Virginia's first School of Computing in 2021
and its first College of Public Health in 2023.
"Our new brand crystallizes our identity as a great equalizer—a
university committed to inclusive acceptance over exclusive status,
and the promise of broad access to a top 50 university experience,"
Washington said. "We take great pride in opening our doors wider
the higher we climb in prestige. That's what we mean by All
Together Different."
"George Mason has always boxed above
its weight in Northern Virginia
and D.C., and it needs an identity system to compete in the most
competitive higher education market in the nation," said
Horace Blackman, rector of
George Mason's Board of Visitors. "This
identity system brings George Mason
shoulder-to-shoulder with leading brands in higher education."
The new look also fixes several operational challenges with the
existing logo system, and visuals that were difficult to maintain
consistently across the university's complex academic environment.
All university units will now use a single, streamlined logo
system.
"I am thrilled that George Mason Athletics will lead the charge
to a unified look that reflects the modern character of this great
university," said Marvin Lewis,
assistant vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics.
"George Mason Athletics develops true scholar-athletes and serves
as the front porch of the university, so it's important to promote
one consistent identity to unify our community."
Input gathered from faculty and staff, students, parents,
alumni, donors, and community leaders confirmed that George Mason is "All Together Different," and in
need of a new logo system to unify the community. The new look
features clean lines and open ends, symbolizing multiple entry
points and pathways to success. An interior gold shape hugged by
green on both sides depicts the university's signature diversity
and inclusivity. The clean lines represent the university's
efficiency and pragmatism.
The familiar green and gold color palette remains, paying homage
to the university's origins, as those school colors were voted on
by students in the late 1960s. However, bolder shades will be
adopted to signify its confidence as a rising national leader.
The "GM" monogram distinguishes the university as the world's
only university to use those initials in its logo and recognizes
that the broader community commonly refers to the university as
"George Mason," not just "Mason" and no
longer "GMU."
"This is a new look for a new era with new expectations of
American higher education," said Paul
Allvin, vice president and chief brand officer at
George Mason. "The rebrand reintroduces
Mason as elite yet never elitist, prestigious yet eminently
accessible, confident in blazing a fundamentally new path for
public higher education in the 21st century and beyond."
The change to the new look is planned to happen over time and is
being accomplished without additional university spending. Over the
next two years, assets that can be converted at no cost, like
digital displays, will be converted first, followed by branded
materials that naturally run out periodically and are already
budgeted for replacement. Durable assets including external signage
will be paid for by reallocation of existing budgets within the
Office of University Branding.
Full resolution photography and graphics are available here:
https://go.gmu.edu/presskit2404
About George Mason
University
George Mason University is
Virginia's largest public research
university. Located near Washington,
D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130
countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past
half-century and is recognized for its innovation and
entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to
accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power
the Possible, a one-billion-dollar
comprehensive campaign to support student success, research,
innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.
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SOURCE George Mason University