The awards keep coming for George Mason University’s new brand

George Mason University’s new brand, fully unveiled just a half year ago, is already garnering award-winning notice from marketing, communications, and higher education spheres.

The comprehensive university rebranding project, led by the  Office of University Branding (OUB), began in 2021 with the revamping of George Mason’s editorial brand, done in collaboration with external ad agency Sunshine & Bourbon. The visual rebrand followed, done in collaboration with the agency Ologie. Both efforts included extensive market research, surveys, and roundtables to glean feedback from the university community.

The final outcome included a new brand narrative that emphasized the university’s standing as a rising leader in higher education, and the tagline of All Together Different that celebrates George Mason’s unique and inclusive approach. New messaging rallied around themes intrinsic to the university’s identity: grit, audacity, diversity, and inclusivity. The visual rebrand included a new interlocking “GM” logo, a streamlined logo system, and bolder versions of the university’s signature green and gold.

With the new brand in place, the university got to work creating materials that tell George Mason’s story using the new look and messaging. And those materials soon began to pick up accolades.

The #ChooseMason video series, a collaboration between OUB and Integrated Enrollment Marketing (IEM), was a Silver Winner at the 2024 Telly Awards in the Educational Institution–Branded Content category. The series featured videos with individual George Mason students telling their stories and sharing why the university was the ideal place for them to learn and grow.

Several print marketing pieces won 2024 Best of District III awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The 2023-24 freshman viewbook, a piece that’s distributed to prospective applicants, won in the design category, while George Mason’s entire print recruitment package won in the student recruitment publications category. Both pieces were created by OUB and IEM. And the College of Education and Human Development received recognition for a mailer detailing its advanced programs, winning in the direct mail advertising category.

Each of the award-winning pieces resulted in marked growth in student interest, with a 12% increase in freshman applications, 18% in Honors College, and 8% in transfers. These pieces are all key to telling the George Mason story and attracting future Patriots.

The latest accolade came from Chief Marketer, which awarded George Mason Best Campaign Look and Feel/Design in the Design and Creativity category—surpassing such national competition as the revived Motorola Razr campaign. The Chief Marketer awards are juried by executives from both nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including UnderArmour, AAA, and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Rebranding an institution as large and as celebrated as George Mason is a massive undertaking,” said Paul Allvin, vice president and chief brand officer. “The fact that we’re seeing such a positive response both from the university community but also from industry leaders is a tremendous validation of the thoughtful collaboration and work that went into this effort.”