Ashton Design was selected this summer as the design and marketing agency of record for ABET, the international leader in the accreditation of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. The project includes developing a new brand identity, brand guidelines, as well as their public website and print materials to align with the new brand strategy.

The first major benchmark in this project will be the launch of the new brand identity, logo, and core message strategy. Stakeholder engagement and brand positioning began last year by London-based consulting firm Neil Gaught & Associates, Ltd., and spearheaded by ABET’ s director of global communications, Danielle Baron. The process involved an intensive review of the organization’s historic and current mission, its position within the accreditation marketplace, and the messaging strategy.

Alexey Ikonomou, Ashton Design’s creative director, explained that ABET's approach is to reach a global audience through a forward-thinking visual identity. He added, “We are excited to be working with a global organization that’s located just around the corner from our Baltimore studio.”

Ashton Design will first be tasked with conceptualizing and developing the new identity and logo, then implementing the full spectrum of ABET’s brand imagery, media, and materials (print, web and video), including a redesigned, streamlined website, internal documents and collateral print materials, as well as environmental graphics for the organization’s headquarters and corporate training facility.

The new identity will make its public debut at ABET's annual symposium conference in April 2015.

ABET is a Baltimore-based nonprofit/non-governmental organization that accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. ABET accredits over 3,450 programs at 698 colleges and universities in 28 nations. ABET provides specialized, programmatic accreditation that evaluates an individual program of study, rather than evaluating an institution as a whole.

Ashton Design is a boutique design firm based in Baltimore, Maryland since 1985, with a close-knit team of highly creative minds in a collaborative environment. Core design disciplines include identity and logo creation, environmental graphics, web and print design. Ashton Design works with a diverse set of clients from Major League Baseball stadiums to local restaurants, as well as architecture and interior firms, commercial development projects, non-profits, retail and entertainment entities, and schools and public institutions.