FAIRFAX, Va. — George Mason University unveiled a newly redesigned logo on Thursday as part of its three-year-long rebrand.
The new look, which will include a single logo for the university and its athletics program, will help claim the university's emerging identity as a national top 50 public university and Virginia’s top-ranked university for innovation and upward mobility.
The rebrand rollout began in 2021, with preparations to mark 50 years of George Mason as a university in 2022. The updated brand narrative declares the university’s approach to education as "All Together Different."
“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 established Virginia’s first School of Computing in 2021 and its first College of Public Health in 2023. It has also grown from a small regional college in the 1970s into the youngest institution ever to earn Carnegie Tier 1 research university status, according to a news release.
“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.”
All university units will now use a single, streamlined logo system. The new look features clean lines and open ends which symbolizes multiple entry points and pathways to success. An interior gold shape surrounded by green on both sides depicts the university's signature diversity and inclusivity. The clean lines represent the university’s efficiency and pragmatism.
The color palette remains, paying homage to the university’s origins – the colors 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. The university also says it will recognize how the community widely refers to the university as “George Mason,” not just “Mason” and no longer “GMU.”
The change to the new look is planned to happen over time and 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.
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