Des Moines Area Community College announced Monday it has launched a redesigned website and the institution’s first branding refresh in 35 years.

DMACC officials unveiled the new corporate logo that incorporates a “three-dimensional D,” college seal connected to its founding in 1966 and a graphic claw signifying the DMACC Bear mascot Monday, according to a news release.

In an interview with the Business Record, DMACC President Rob Denson said the biggest change in the website modernization is making the website more mobile-browser friendly. He said it was DMACC’s “major goal” to make the site more accessible to the college’s 55,000 students.

“A lot has changed in the last 35 years, especially in higher education,” Denson said in a news release. “During that time, DMACC has nearly tripled in size, both in student enrollment and in the number of facilities and locations we have; however, we’ve also worked hard to maintain our strong commitment to keeping costs down for students. DMACC is dedicated to offering high-quality, accessible and affordable education, with tuition and fees that are among the lowest in Iowa.”

The college is planning a marketing campaign in 2024 that will feature the new branding and logo, according to the release.

DMACC is one of the largest undergraduate institutions in Iowa, with six campuses and seven learning centers in Central Iowa.

In the past decade, DMACC has invested approximately $100 million in new and remodeled facilities, as well as education infrastructure, including the implementation of Canvas, a web-based learning management system, and the launch of 10 pathways that have more than 220 credit and non-credit programs, degrees and certificates, according to the release.

In the release, DMACC cited a recent Hanover Research Study that found that 75% of companies worked on their brand between 2020 and 2021, and a 2022 UpCity survey, which found 51% of businesses had changed their brand since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“A brand is more than a slogan, logo or new graphics; it’s an overall identity and helps shape how a company, organization or educational institution is perceived by the people it serves,” Todd Jones, DMACC director of marketing and public relations, said in the release. “This is an important opportunity for DMACC to continue to grow and modernize while highlighting its reputation as one of the leading educational institutions in the state of Iowa.”

Read a full interview with DMACC President Rob Denson about DMACC’s broader strategic direction later this week in the Business Record Daily.