The George Washington University introduced a comprehensive brand refresh that reflects the university’s strengths, future strategy and the distinct advantages of its location in the heart of the nation’s capital. This update includes a new brand promise and creative expression designed to communicate GW’s unique and compelling attributes to audiences across the globe.
This new brand promise, “Proximity + Progress,” highlights GW’s location, its position as D.C.’s largest research university and its long-standing role as a catalyst for knowledge, innovation and impact.
This direction also emphasizes how the university’s location, access to an influential ecosystem and global impact create an environment where students, faculty, staff and alumni are just steps away from opportunities to shape the world.
This approach includes an expanded color palette, updated graphic elements, reimagined photography styles and design fonts. These enhancements build on the foundation of the university’s existing identity—such as its name, logo, Revolutionaries moniker and Buff & Blue colors, all of which will not be changing—while modernizing the visual system to better reflect GW’s lively, intellectual and purpose-driven community.
The university will introduce the refreshed brand this month, including an updated GW homepage and a new 30-second brand video. The new video will be played nationally during the Dec. 13 televised men’s basketball game against the defending national champion University of Florida Gators on ESPN2. Additional web updates, expanded use of the new creative assets, social media campaigns and brand workshops are planned for spring 2026.
“Our refreshed brand is closely aligned with the new strategic framework as it expresses the university’s commitment to elevating GW’s visibility, strengthening our reputation and amplifying our impact,” said President Ellen M. Granberg. “My sincere thanks go to the many members of our community whose voices and expertise guided this important effort, and I look forward to our work as OneGW to implement this brand, which reflects who we are today and where we’re headed.”
The brand refresh is the result of a yearlong university-wide community engagement process that garnered feedback from thousands of voices from across GW. Partnering with the higher education branding firm Ologie, the university conducted a multiphase exploration that included surveys, interviews, roundtables, focus groups and a comprehensive brand perception study.
More than 40 representatives from all of GW’s schools and administrative units, as well as students, faculty and alumni, served on the working group guiding the project. Throughout 2025, the university gathered feedback from the Board of Trustees, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Student Government Association and alumni leaders.
Additional focus group sessions were held with prospective students, current undergraduates and graduate students to review creative concepts. Recently, the university held a pair of town hall meetings discussing the brand refresh on the Foggy Bottom and Ashburn campuses.
“This was a deeply collaborative effort with our community who shared what they value most about GW, and that collective wisdom shaped every part of the refreshed brand direction,” said Vice President for Communications and Marketing Ellen Moran. “We look forward to working with partners across the university to implement this direction into our communications and marketing efforts in the coming weeks and months.”
GW last updated its brand in the 2012-2013 academic year; reexamining an organization’s brand is a regular and essential step in ensuring the university remains competitive while clearly communicating its distinct advantages.
The higher education landscape, especially locally, has changed significantly in the last decade, with increased competition for prospective students and a growing number of institutions expanding their operations in the D.C. region.
With enhanced messaging and a refreshed creative toolkit, GW is positioning itself to highlight the revolutionary scholarship, innovation and creativity that drives progress in its communities and around the world.