We are coming up to one year after I designed the logo, the guidelines were settled, assets and templates delivered and the merger completed. It’s an excellent point in time to reflect on the project and find out how successful it’s been.
The Merger
Just under a year ago I was contacted by Cycle Industries Europe (CIE) who were beginning the process of merging with the Confederation of the European Cycling Industry (CONEBI). This new association would be called European Cycling Industries (ECI). They would become the united voice of the European cycling sector, representing manufacturers, technology providers, and national industry associations across Europe.
With so many eyes from the cycling industry on this merger it was very important that the launch was impactful and confident, supported by branding which was memorable, credible and inclusive.
The Concept
This logo idea combines the letters ECI and a bicycle. The bicycle is not only the subject of the organisation, but the thing which unites and connects all of the members. So it not only places them instantly in your field of expertise, but also speaks to your common goals.
The Results
Now let’s get down the juicy stuff. I set up a call with Istvan Koles, Communications Officer at ECI to find how things went and how things are going.
Hello Istvan, It feels like time has flown since the launch of ECI! How has the new re-branded organisation been received in the industry?
“Very well, I think the fact that we rebranded and with the quality that we've done, it made the reception and the acceptance of ECI very quick. I think it made it very obvious what we stand for and… it's been very much a success story. It very much helped galvanize it to associations which happened so much quicker than thought it would.
That’s great to hear. And the logo itself, what has the recognition been like?
“Really good. The logo works beautifully in all applications.”
Of course branding is not just a logo, so in your in your own day-to-day work and that of your colleagues, have the other assets, guidelines and templates been useful?
“Yes, absolutely. I think the biggest help by far was the PowerPoint templates and the variations. Because everyone has their own style and opinion the fact that there were three options to use is keeping things consistent and also sort of personal. And I can only say that the output that we are doing has been more consistent. And my policy colleagues who are really just looking to get things done quickly at the short notice, can still 100% adhere to the visual identity. It really, really makes our life so much easier.”
Excellent. And you're now doing more in-house?
“Exactly, everyone knows that if they need to create a post or write a letter, they know where to and find the templates and assets and how it should look.
I would say 90% of the stuff that we produced for events are in-house, and we use external agencies for very specific purposes, like for example the exhibition infrastructure at our recent event. I just forwarded them the branding guidelines and the individual assets which made it very easy to implement them.”
Is there anything that we've missed out do you think or could have done better?
“I honestly don't think so. If we haven't done something, is because we don't need it at the moment. For a small association to have a compact, easy to use branding template and guidelines it is much more useful than to have an insane amount of options that we otherwise wouldn't know what to make of.”
What do you think the future holds for ECI and how might the branding needs evolve to reflect that.
“Brand recognition of ECI among the association is really strong now, but what we haven't done much of is moving picture content, videos, etc... So if the branding needs to evolve then that would be in that area.”
The Conclusion
A big thank you to Istvan for sharing his time and thoughts with us, I’m delighted that it was such a successful project. What we can take away from this is how clear and easy to use guidelines and assets are an essential part of an organisations communication arsenal. It’s freed up Istvan and the team at ECI to focus on what they want to say rather than how to say it. It’s saved them time and money being able to handle more content marketing in-house. It’s enabled them to give the guidelines and assets to external partners in the knowledge that, when followed, they’ll produce on-brand materials. And the most important of all, it’s strengthened their voice by clear, consistent and recognisable communications.
See my case study on this project here
If you’d like help achieving that same confidence if your branding, get in touch!
This article was written by me, and no AI was used!