Nick Johns-Wickberg
After two years of consultation and six months of design and development, AIRAH has launched a new brand identity and website, which better reflect the Institute’s commitment to leading innovation within the Australian HVAC&R industry.
The brand refresh includes an updated AIRAH logo that is simpler, clearer, and better suited to digital use than the incumbent logo, which dates from the 1970s. It also includes guides for colour and font usage, as well as a new slogan: HVAC&R for a better world.
The new website has been designed from scratch and adheres to AIRAH’s new brand philosophy throughout. Its fast page-loading times, intuitive search function, and clean design are intended to make it far easier and more pleasant to use than the previous website.
AIRAH CEO Sami Zheng, Affil.AIRAH, says that as AIRAH looks towards the future, refreshing the Institute’s brand and website has been a high priority.
“HVAC&R is an exciting, future-focused industry with a huge role to play in the fight against climate change,” Zheng says. “We want AIRAH’s brand and digital experience to reflect that, as do our members, who have indicated this in surveys over the past couple of years.
“This brand refresh is not just about creating a better digital experience for our existing members. We also want to show the next generation of HVAC&R professionals that AIRAH is there to advocate for the future of the industry and for the issues that matter most to them.”
A focus on user experience
AIRAH marketing manager Jesse Benjamin led the brand redesign and the development of the new AIRAH website. He says improving members’ digital experience was the cornerstone of the update.
“The rebrand and website update projects are a response to considerable member feedback,” Benjamin says. “We’ve updated our organisational goals based on this feedback, and one of our key actions in the short-to-medium term is to provide better digital experiences for members.”
Key features of the new website include:
- Faster page loading
- Simpler, more logical menus
- A robust search function that delivers immediate results
- Resource libraries with easy-to-use search filters
- A less cluttered layout with more white space
- Content written in clear language.
Not just a facelift
Many members will have fond memories of the previous AIRAH logo, which stood out with its contrasting sun, airwave, and snowflake motifs. However, it was an inflexible logo that was unsuitable for digital and screen use cases, and it didn’t adequately reflect AIRAH’s new direction.
The new logo solves these problems. Each element of its design symbolises a part of AIRAH’s mission and vision.
“The update to our visual identity facilitates a more versatile design that’s more suitable for digital and screen use cases, and also better reflects the new direction AIRAH is headed in as an organisation,” Benjamin says.
Unlike the previous version, the new logo can also function without the “AIRAH” text. Its square design allows it to scale smoothly and work in both horizontal and vertical layouts. The carefully chosen colour scheme represents the heating, cooling, and sustainability elements of the HVAC&R industry.
You can find a more in-depth explanation of the brand refresh and digital redesign on the new AIRAH website.
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