Any indication this will affect the branding of athletics too?  New logos or even basketball uniforms?

 Again? I feel like this just happened.

But usually they are fairly disconnected.

You can reinvent yourself a hundred times with new logos and all kinds of flash/sizzle. But if you don't win it will hardly matter. Build it (the program) and they will come (the fans). ML surely understands this - the question is whether anyone else at GW does.

This is a GWU rebrand, not (necessarily) a sports rebrand.

new sweatshirts and hats????

 head-bands? ascots? spats? ermine stolls?

... is laughing at herve. very good.

it should all get rebranded. We have three different shades of buff and alums can't decide between "gwu" or "GW". These little things go a long way in establishing a strong unifying brand that people can get excited about. 

What ever happened to that old comic sans-style logo that existed a few years back?  Can't find that logo anywhere on the internet.

 Look what keeping the football uniforms unchanged for all those years did for Penn St.

I think the old GW in the handwriting of George Washington himself was pretty cool. Then again, I also thought taking a date in high school to see aged Mexican crooner Jose Jose was pretty cool, too.

....and look what it did for Xavier, Gonzaga, Duke, Stanford, shall I dare say Hoya Paranoia? i could go on.

I'll have to get some new towels to match my set from the last couple brandings.

And I hear they are changing the name from the Colonials to the George Washington Generals.  So no more Colonials - sorry.  

No, that's just a rumor I made up.  But doesn't it sound better? (Harlem Globetrotters notwithstanding?)

What vegetarian mammal weighs 8,000 pounds and secretes its own sunblock?

Majerus turned veggie? I don't believe it.

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg?

Wouldn't all the consulting money paid for this nonsense be better of being applied to say, lowering tuition?

 Of course these all exist as well:

 Theoretically, Bigfan, this latest iteration of rebranding would work toward the ultimate benefit of the school ( and students) by creating an identifiable marketing presence associated with the Raise High theme (assuming it's retained) and the release last year of the athletic strategic plan. GW Athletic Development under Dr. Schmidt has greatly expanded the fundraising effort so I imagine this is all part of continued unification among all the sports with an eye toward raising awareness and money. It may also be a spousal assistance initiative to get us to rid our closets of all our old GW stuff - stains holes and all. Necessary? Who knows? But I'd suggest this new crew has more than earned our trust and confidence to take a wait and see attitude.

What Carrnegie said above. It's not the name, the cool logo, colors or anything else. It's what it stands for. And as to sports, the highest visibility the name and logo will get is through men's basketball. So I would agree that the focus ought to be on that program. And if that program does well, an amateur graphic artist can slap something together in 5 minutes that will be known and respected across the country as something associated with a successful program. Otherwise, this is tantamount to whistling past the graveyard as far as athletics are concerned. In my mind, the single most important person to raise GW's visibility, increase fundraising and continue to put GW on the map is Mike Lonergan. People love to associate with a winner. If you go back a few years the most recognized person externally at GW was Mike Jarvis. We all have to count on Lonergan being successful. If not, the re-brand as far as athletics will just be another ill-fated attempt to create something ourt of nothing (i.e. smoke and mirrors).

Does anyone remember the old crew logo? it was a just the letters GW but with a diagonal line across both letters, separating colors buff and blue. I always liked the "old school" feel of that logo.

i spent an embarrasing amount of time trying to find a picture via the googles but came up empty handed.

 I don't actually disagree with you CBO about the paramount importance of a successful men's basketball team but it's short-sighted to think that Lonergan's success (which I take as an article of faith) is the only path to financial success. Lot of successful alum participated in or supported other sports at GW who are ripe targets for affinity support beyond the school's marquee basketball teams. The MBB-centric approach was one of several criticisms directed at the previous athletic administration. Just as Trachtenberg/Chernak abandoned Elliott's indifference to intercollegiate athletic success, so too is Knapp/Nero moving beyond an athletic department focusing on one sport. While I may worry that GW is trying to support too many sports, I can only applaud the current effort to embrace all of GW's athletes and potential donors. But yes, if Lonergan and to a lesser extent Tsipis are not successful in their resurrection projects, GW may not be able to raise high their outside funding support commensurate with their overall athletic ambitions. Still think that onus falls on the GW Confederation (early stage of nationhood) as much as it does on the leaders trying to arouse it.

While I'd like to share your optimism concerning the potential for other sports Poog, the visibility factor makes it damn hard to be successful without your flagship program being successful. Yes, it is entirely possible that a huge donor may emanate from another sport one day but the problem will still be visibility and not finances. Finances are not the issue for GW (unless we have further decline in RE values). Visibility has and will seemingly always be GW's achilles heel. GW never rode as high externally as when it defeated UMass or made the Sweet Sixteen.

2 ideas for improvement:

Stop selling anything with "GW UNIVERSITY" stretched out in a single line of text. Use either "George Washington University", "GW" or "GWU".

They should also completely stop using the cartoon colonial's face on merchandise.

Big 5 - couldn't agree more - no more "GW University!"  That is so dumb, like Notre Dame would use "ND University" or Johns Hopkins would use "JH University!" 

I believe the new visual ID system calls for the use of the following:

               The George Washington University   -   George Washington  -   GW

and constant use of Buff & Blue.  Not sure about the GW monogram or the Colonials mascot image.

The new George looks like the old Jake Stein. Which is fine by me.

 It's fine.  I like it.  They had me scared though.

Agree with Big 5 re: "GW UNIVERSITY."  The use this awkward title has grated on me for the better part of a decade.

Not necessarily a fault of GW internally, but it would be nice for outside media to eliminate the name "Geo Wash."   Why not GWU or just GW?  I really don't think too many nationally confuse GW and Gardner Webb.

Though they do confuse Colonials with Colonels

I think that the University does this every time they use up all their letterhead.

 It is and should be forever known as THE George Washington university.  Using THE before the title distinguidhes our school from the pretenders that are scattered throughout the land.  We are the one and only.  We are graduates of the school that was started through a bequest from our first president's will and chartered by Congress..  We are THE George Washington University.

I like it. And yes, GW University is awful. 

Sunday!

Herve, I missed your post back in July but I am shocked that someone hasn't asked you to take it down. They've been crazy about this, signs all over campus are wrapped and covered to avoid it getting out.

As for my thoughts, I would've gone with a serifed font. It would make it look a little more serious and "academic" if you ask me. And I understand the desire to have George facing to the right, or the "future" if you ask the external relations department, but I don't think I would've hidden half of his face.

 Uh oh.

http://blogs.gwhatchet.com/newsroom/2012/08/24/universitys-not-yet-released-logo-previewed-on-colonials-basketball-message-board

I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner.

No one noticed... I published last weeks winning Mega Millions numbers prior to the drawing and nobody noticed.

Herve is the new Julian Assange.  I hear he is on his way to the Honduran embassy to try to get amnesty.

 Better food at the Ethiopian embassy, but I think they have extradition. OH THE INTRIGUE!!!!!

Well that's the last time I call attention to something. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on.

Ecuador Herve, Ecuador. 

 Looks 'shopped.

You'll are sure this isn't just a not new idea for the bookstore to sell more clothing?

gwhoops with the scoops!

That was such a Hatchet thing to do smh... 

Hah, I love it.  The ghost of Trachtenberg is going to haunt herve.

Oh wait...