Background

The journal Science is arguably the world’s most important scientific publication. And with over half a million readers around the world, it certainly is the largest of its kind. It is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world.

The brief

AAAS asked us to help them refresh their identity to better reflect the international scope of the association, and to emphasise the work done by the association, especially in the area of education. The aim was to build awareness of the brand and the added value of AAAS membership.

The solution

By gathering findings from a series of workshops with key AAAS stakeholders and combining this with external research (focused on a cross-section of the organization’s members) we created an effective strategy.

Creative exploration gave birth to the “Qs & AAAs” or the Questions & Answers campaign as a brand communication platform. We combined this with a new identity and guidelines, all designed to appeal to younger scientists. Our work encompassed brand & identity, communications, advertising and film. The online and offline advertising was placed in the AAAS publication Science, which solidified the bridge between the two, and a range of other media.

The results

The campaign and new identity helped build consistency across the multiple communications platforms and channels used by the AAAS. It also spread the word among its target market about all the things the organization did beyond publishing the journal Science – from supporting science education and the rights of scientists around the globe, to grants and Science Careers.