New Year, New Look at Iona College
Iona Ready to Launch into 2021 with New Logo, Brand and Website, Showcasing Promise to “Learn Outside the Lines”
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — After a year of outreach, surveys, focus groups and refinement, Iona College has unveiled a fresh new logo, brand and website – showcasing a new brand promise to “Learn Outside the Lines.”
“As Gaels, we all know what makes Iona College such a special place,” said Mary Clare Reilley, vice president of College Marketing & Communications, who led the rebranding efforts. “Now, it’s time to share that story with the world.”
The new logo consists of a Celtic knot cross with intermingling lines of maroon, gold and white. It is both a reflection of Iona’s Catholic history, as well as its core strengths – unity on campus, purpose in the classroom and service in the community. The line work is also a visual nod to Iona’s new brand promise, which asks:
Where are you going?
The known path, or your own path?
Iona College is where your story starts.
Where you’ll be given the means to dream and find meaning in your dreams.
To follow your heart and your head.
To serve while you learn
and learn while you serve.
To fight the good fight.
To own your path.
Because sometimes you have to go
out of your way, to find your way.
So, where are you going?
Iona College.
Learn outside the lines.
“Now more than ever, we know the value of that promise to ‘learn outside the lines,’” Reilley said. “From the very beginning, the process of rebranding was about so much more than just creating a new look and feel for the College. Staying true to ourselves, we sought to uncover the authentic aspects that make us distinctive. Iona’s mission, vision and values; our heritage and history; the legacy of the Christian Brothers; the students we serve; and the experiences of our alumni, students, faculty and staff – all were taken into consideration and are reflected in the final product.”
Learn more about the new Iona College brand by watching this launch video.
Meanwhile, the redesigned website – iona.edu – is laser-focused on providing the best possible user experience. Over 2,000 pages were refreshed and transferred to the new platform with engaging, interactive, informative and accessible content, including:
- more robust and compelling academic pages and program descriptions;
- simplified Admissions and Financial Aid information;
- engaging photos and videos that reflect Iona’s vibrant and diverse campus culture;
- interactive search and navigation functions that make programs more discoverable for the wider community; and
- an intranet with curated pages for current students, faculty, staff and alumni.
“As our vibrant alumni body—now over 50,000 strong—can attest, Iona has a legacy of providing a transformative education, equipping students with the knowledge and spirit to chart a successful path through life once they leave our campus,” said Iona’s executive-in-residence, James Mustich, who is assisting Iona’s leadership team in developing vibrant strategies for innovation across the campus. “In today’s world, empowering students to be resilient and resourceful—to learn outside the lines—is more important than ever, and our new brand delivers that message with fresh energy.”
Iona worked closely with two agency partners, mStoner for the website and Lawrence & Schiller for the rebranding.
“From the moment that we set foot on campus, we realized Iona was a special place and an extraordinary community, and we wanted to create a site that brought Iona's story to digital life,” said Voltaire Santos Miran, CEO and head of client experience at mStoner, Inc. “The collaboration with Iona and with Lawrence & Schiller was a true partnership that resulted in a new brand platform, a vibrant identity system, and a dynamic new web presence. Not only is the site beautiful, accessible, and mobile-native, it's also built on a rock-solid Drupal implementation that will allow Iona to sustain and enhance the site over time. Working with Iona has been a great privilege.”
Jamie Hegge, director of client services at Lawrence & Schiller, said: “It was an honor to work with Iona College on developing their new brand identity. We’re proud to have created a brand reflective of both Iona’s people and its mission – one that celebrates their past, exemplifies their future, and epitomizes their constant commitment to living and learning with purpose.”
A New Chapter
Iona College was founded 80 years ago this September. Building on a tradition from Saint Columba on the Isle of Iona, to Blessed Edmund Rice in Ireland, to the Congregation of Christian Brothers in New Rochelle, Iona has established a legacy of opportunity, inclusion and the liberating power of education. It is a legacy that continues to inspire, fueled by a spirit of innovation that challenges students to create their own paths as they begin their journeys at Iona.
“As Gaels, we fight the good fight – certa bonum certamen – as we confront the future and lead by example,” Reilley said. “We hope you feel the pride that comes from such a legacy, as we turn the page to a fresh chapter in Iona’s bright future.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.