our process
AMG is one of the top engineering firms in Ohio, but like many successful small businesses, they started from humble beginnings, including a simple logo designed by their founder in his garage. Over four decades of growth, the company had evolved into one of the most respected companies in their industry. Their brand imagery and logo hadn’t evolved on the same trajectory. ruef’s job was to update the external look of the company to match the sophisticated and trusted brand they had spent decades building.
Our team wanted to make sure we truly understood the brand, the history, and the direction of AMG. ruef kicked off the initial project with several meetings at the AMG offices, meeting with a wide range of people to better understand the AMG story, their day to day operations, the needs of their individual stakeholders, and where the company saw its future heading.
results
Starting with the logo, it was clear that AMG needed something modern and technical but communicated the dependability and practicality characteristics to which the brand was so closely recognized. The colors need to be strong and industrial and stay away from trendy or gimmicky color schemes. ruef narrowed the logo and colors down to just a few options that they felt best met these requirements and AMG took these options to the rest of the company for feedback. The chosen logo had unanimous approval.
The visual representation of a brand is more than just a logo, a font, and some color swatches. ruef immediately went to work on creating a detailed brand guide to act as a clear reference for all visuals going forward. ruef also designed new business cards, print materials, trade show pieces, office graphics, and more, giving AMG a cohesive update to all aspects of their brand image and ensuring that no matter the situation, AMG clients were presented with a consistent brand message.
“Changing a logo, especially one so personal to the company, can be scary. You took so much care in understanding us and guiding us through the process. Everyone is proud of our new look and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
Julieta Davis, Chief Financial officer, AMG, Inc.