Oct 21, 2014

Purpose Statement, Logo and Website

ASTM International introduced its new brand identity today at the fall meetings of the ASTM board of directors in Seoul, South Korea. The new branding better reflects the expanding mission and global reach of ASTM and informs our stakeholders who we are and how we help to facilitate global trade, ensure public safety and maximize business growth.

For more than a century, ASTM is well known as one of the world’s largest and most established standards creating organizations. Today, ASTM also offers a wide range of products and services that go well beyond standards: training, proficiency testing, certification and the new portal service Compass. These offerings significantly enhance the benefits ASTM provides to its stakeholders worldwide.

ASTM President James A. Thomas explains, “While ASTM is well known by those we serve, our new brand applies a unified approach to the way we communicate the outstanding quality of our work and the expertise of our members to all of our audiences worldwide. We have been through a thorough review process that has resulted in a brand identity that truly aligns with our mission and values, and empowers us to think and talk about ourselves in a more impactful way as we express who ASTM International is today.”

Helping our world work better
Central to the brand is ASTM's new purpose statement, ‘Helping our world work better.’ The statement articulates succinctly why ASTM exists as well as its primary ambition. It states how ASTM engages with its stakeholders to help them solve problems through collaboration, it emphasizes ASTM’s international reach, and it expresses continuous improvement of the products and services we all use every day.

Updated Logo
In addition, the logo that has served ASTM well for over 100 years was carefully refined, resulting in a less angular and more contemporary monogram. The new brand mark communicates progress built on solid and enduring principles. These changes will also make our logo more usable across a range of media.

Other Visual Elements
A central visual component of the rebranding is the use of the square as a flexible graphic element across all of our communications, providing a contemporary look. The new branding has been applied across the ASTM website, the ASTM magazine Standardization News, the ASTM electronic member newsletter eNews, our social media platforms and on collateral materials. The comprehensive branding effort also involved the development of a new corporate video that shows ASTM standards improving lives around the world.

Board Meeting in Seoul
Holding the ASTM board meeting in Seoul enables ASTM to connect with its members residing in South Korea as well as with representatives of the industry sectors using ASTM standards in South Korea. In addition to the formal sessions, the 25-member board will meet with the leadership of trade associations and corporations where ASTM standards are globally influential. Other events are a roundtable discussion, industry workshop and CEO breakfast. Past board meeting locations include Beijing, Berlin, Chicago, London, Mexico City, New York City, Stockholm, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C. 

For additional information, contact Barbara Schindler, director, ASTM Corporate Communications, bschindl@astm.org.

About ASTM International
Over 12,000 ASTM standards operate globally. Defined and set by us, they improve the lives of millions every day. Combined with our innovative business services, ASTM standards enhance performance and help everyone have confidence in the things they buy and use – from the toy in a child’s hand to the aircraft overhead.

Working across borders, disciplines and industries we harness the expertise of over 30,000 members to create consensus and improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, systems and services. Understanding commercial needs and consumer priorities, we touch every part of everyday life: helping our world work better.

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #9696