When students arrived on campus for the Fall 2025 semester, they might have noticed things looked a bit different than they did in April.
Over the summer, Grand Valley State University Marketing rolled out a school-wide rebrand, updating logos and expanding color palettes, changing campus names and unveiling a new tagline.
The Allendale and Pew Campuses have been renamed the “Valley” and “City” Campuses, respectively. This change was made in an attempt to clear the Allendale Campus’s supposed reputation as the “college in the cornfield,” while reflecting features of GVSU as a whole and reaching wider audiences, according to the University Communicator Network, an initiative launched by GVSU Communications in 2024.
Through these titles, the University hopes to distinguish Allendale as the “academic, residential and social center of the University,” and emphasize the business, engineering and healthcare programs provided on the City Campus.
“These two campus experiences are unique to GVSU and set us apart from our competitors,” said Associate Vice President of Marketing and Branding President Jennifer Allard.
The school’s new tagline, “Turning What If Into What Is,” will be used in various branding facets. Administrators chose the tagline to “express (their) dedication to transforming potential into reality,” according to the Network.
Signage and banners have been updated in and around both campuses to match the rebrand, and the exterior of the Russel H. Kirkhof Center has received a face lift, showing off the University’s logo. Typefaces were also tweaked to improve legibility.
The University’s color palette has been also expanded from blue, black and white to include six new secondary colors, including purple and teal. It hasn’t yet been revealed how or where these colors will be implemented.
“GVSU is leading the way by staying true to the purpose of a public institution while modernizing the channels and product systems with grittiness, ingenuity and genuine kindness,” explained the Network.
The branding changes were quietly revealed at a University Communicator Network presentation hosted by Allard in May, however, these changes started being planned roughly two and a half years ago.
According to Allard, the University reportedly surveyed thousands of people, including students, parents, faculty and staff, employers and stakeholders. Allard said this years-long strategy allowed University Marketing to engage potential students and other key audiences.
“Our goal was to deeply understand our various audiences and what they thought about GVSU,” said Allard.
GVSU Student Senator Sophie Gemmen, chair of public relations, was in attendance for the presentation and looks forward to seeing more of the changes. Gemmen stressed her opinion is her’s as a student, and does not reflect the views of the Senate.
“From a student’s perspective, I find the rebrand to strongly align with Grand Valley’s values and goals, as the University works to find new ways to modernize while maintaining what being a Laker has always meant.”
Gemmen also acknowledged the potential for student backlash or hesitancy, but feels the rebrand will have a positive impact.
“While any change can feel weird, these updates are definitely improvements in my eyes,” Gemmen said. “Renaming the campuses, in my opinion, helps unify our campuses while highlighting what is unique about the geography of our university.”
Gemmen expressed that her opinions are her own and do not reflect the views of the Senate.
With the new campaign still being implemented, Allard said GVSU community members can expect to see branding updates throughout the remainder of the year.
“(The updates are) all rooted in the stories of our students, faculty and staff,” Allard said. “We hope (they) will give our community on and off campus a reinvigorated sense of pride in our University and demonstrate the impact (GVSU) has on our state.”
The total cost of the rebrand is still unknown at time of publication.
