News Detail

Always Advancing

1/15/2014

At the October 24, 2013 meeting of the ACI Board of Direction and under unanimous agreement, the ACI Board took an extremely bold step and voted to adopt a new ACI logo and tagline.

In 2005, the Institute adopted modifications to our logo, extracting from the centennial anniversary logo. But the last significant transformation was exactly 50 years ago. Following a logo competition where members proposed concepts, ACI hired a consultant to build upon the winning entry. What a revolutionary and dramatic outcome it was transforming to the globe, representative of the world-wide field of operation and influence of the Institute. Blue was chosen as the basic color to symbolize the association of water and sky with concrete. The advocates for this change included industry legends Joe W. Kelly, Raymond Reese, Roger Corbetta, Bryant Mather, Lewis Tuthill, Alan Bates, William Maples, and Robert Wilde.

Like our predecessors, we take the next step forward in the evolution of the ACI brand with an eye toward the future yet being mindful of our heritage. The acronym “aci” is maintained in the refreshed logo—an alternative our predecessors chose over the “unwieldy length” of the name “American Concrete Institute.” Once again, we turn to color, adopting a new palette of bright hues to convey a more contemporary, energetic, and dynamic impression; reflect the diversity of ACI’s specialization; and illustrate the global reach of ACI’s network.

A less-is-more approach was chosen for the new tagline “Always advancing”—to keep the message brief, interesting, and meaningful to our members, customers, and partners. Although only two words, they carry a great deal of meaning. First, the new tagline reflects the ACI member. It reflects the work we do individually and collaboratively inside and outside of ACI, advancing concrete knowledge, technology, quality, and construction. Second, the new tagline reflects what we do collectively in support of concrete quality and professional growth…“always advancing.”

Why now? The digital medium easily and economically accommodates the change. And, like our predecessors, we recognize the importance of a modern and vibrant image. Like our predecessors, ACI engaged a brand consultant who took us through a thoughtful and inclusive process. The deliverable includes not only the new logo and tagline but also digital and print communication guidelines to ensure we represent ACI quality in everything we do. Thank you to the ACI Marketing Committee, Brand Identity Task Group, Chair Kimberly Kayler, and ACI staff who championed these efforts.

ACI formally launches the new logo and tagline at World of Concrete later this month, on the new www.concrete.org, and in ACI communications and products over the coming months.

Anne M. Ellis (@AnneEllis12)
American Concrete Institute