Association’s extensive rebranding includes new logo, tagline
British columbia’s HR association has officially unveiled its new name and logo as part of a major rebranding exercise. Formerly the BC Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA), the organization is now called HRMA.
Good people practices aren’t really bound by provincial borders and many members have opportunities in other regions, including other countries, said Christian Codrington, senior manager, professional practice, at HRMA in Vancouver. And in today’s digital economy, the association’s service level should reflect its commitment to support and engage members — wherever they may be. "(With) the combination of those things together, plus the equity we already had in the marketplace under the name of BC HRMA, we said, ‘Let’s drop the ‘BC’ and let’s go through an exercise to ensure that our brand commitment to our members and to the profession is up to date.’ And that also speaks to the reinvention, if you will, or the new look or new design of our corporate logo." HRMA worked with an advertising company to develop and roll out the new look. The exercise included a review of media around the HR profession and feedback from members through a survey, said Codrington. "We also tried to project out what we’d like the profession to look like, as well as how we could support our members, over the next five to 10 years." Through that, the association decided on its brand essence using four words, with matching colours: powerful (red), trustworthy (blue), authoritative (orange) and informative (grey). The new logo features a stylized "h" joined with an "R" in a square and is meant to reflect the breadth and reach of the profession, said Codrington, with the connecting line representing a bridge between operations and people or a tent to symbolize inclusiveness. "We sought to communicate the profession’s breadth, reach and leadership in business. The square offered strength and clarity which supports the brand essence," said Donna-Jay Crowe, creative director and lead strategist at myron advertising + design in Vancouver.
"Logos are very important to professional service organizations like HRMA, to the point of the organization living up to its brand promise to members, the businesses it engages with, government and the public." HRMA also has a new tagline: "The voice of the HR profession." "We felt it clearly communicated the aspiration of the organization, removed any ambiguity about what the organization did, and clearly communicated human resources as a profession (not an industry, sector, etcetera)," said Crowe. Members were given a sneak peek of the new look at the association’s annual conference in April and then voted on the initiative at the annual general meeting in June. It was unanimously accepted, said Codrington. "Our members are very positive around the new look, the new feel… we’ve received pretty positive feedback."
