Client
AUTM
Expertise
Association Rebrand, Brand Guidelines, Brand Identity, Brand Messaging, Brand Strategy, Collateral Development, Event Branding, Naming, Website Design, Website Strategy
Recognition
2019 Bronze EXCEL Awards: Rebrand
2018 GDUSA Winner, Website Redesign
Reimagining AUTM’s Brand and Bringing its New Identity to Life
Challenge
AUTM, the leading association for the diverse technology transfer field, provides education and inspires a community of over 3,000 global professionals to develop academic research that spearheads innovations.
AUTM partnered with our team to reimagine its brand and create a new identity that reflected a modern narrative on what the organization represents.
AUTM’s original name, the Association of University Technology Managers, marginalized members who represent industries beyond higher education. The name of the association in itself didn’t accurately embody the entirety of the organization’s membership.
With 30 years since its last rebrand, AUTM’s leadership felt that the organization was in need of a name change, a refreshed visual identity to represent its modern positioning within the industry, and a website to reflect its new brand and leverage its core value of bringing research to life.
Outcome
AUTM’s new brand has an inviting persona and its redesigned website injects life into the member experience and serves as an engaging entryway into the association, highlighting: its members, available technologies for members, collaborations with academic and corporate partners, and success stories of those who benefit from AUTM’s research and development.
In just three months after the AUTM website “Our leadership and our membership are very happy with the rebrand. Bates Creative’s designs have given the Association a more modern and global appeal, and more accurately reflects the innovative and inclusive approach within our Association.” redesign launched:
- autm.net’s pageviews increased 26%
- autm.net’s new users increased 25%
- autm.net’s email traffic increased 102%
In addition, following AUTM’s rebrand, an increase in page views across the site occurred:
- Annual meeting landing page views increased 29%
- Annual meeting registration page views increased 34%
- Webinars page views increased 51%
- Career page visitors increased 57%
- My AUTM membership portal page views increased 157%
The organization continues to inject its new identity into cohesive experiences, including its annual conference. Beyond Definition most recently helped to develop the event branding for AUTM’s Annual Meeting 2020.
“Our leadership and our membership are very happy with the rebrand. Bates Creative’s designs have given the Association a more modern and global appeal, and more accurately reflects the innovative and inclusive approach within our Association.”
Phase 1Diagnostics & Discovery
Begin in-depth research into AUTM’s current member perception to help inform the new direction the organization needed to head into. Through interviews and focus groups the team discovered that members perceived AUTM as collaborative, informed, engaged and enlightened. The new identity needed to reflect these sentiments.
Phase 2Brand Development & Implementation
Drop the former acronymically limiting definition, and help provide a more inclusive feeling, refreshing the association’s name to simply “AUTM.”
Old Logo
New Logo
Explore creative possibilities to bring the refreshed identity to life through a new logo paired with a warm color palette to mirror AUTM’s inviting persona. The primary orange hue represents innovation, along with lowercase letters, reinforcing the association’s approachability, humanity, and warmth.
Phase 3Creative, Marketing & Interactive
Work with AUTM to redesign its website experience to seamlessly bring its new brand to life digitally. The redesigned website reaches all audience segments in dynamic ways, showcases the work of its members, and drives membership growth and support for the association.
