During 2020/21 staff worked on a brand refresh strategy. Our old website was no longer sufficiently serving members’ needs and the time had come for a quiet revolution – both in the way we presented the institute to the world and the ways in which we provided resources to our members in order to deliver the highest-quality service.
Our goal
We aimed to create a website that was easy to use and that symbolised the cutting edge of innovation. Our members work with technical expertise and precision in the fields of science, technology, and engineering so we wanted our branding to reflect this. CIPA is also one of the oldest IP organisations in the world, so we were careful to recognise and reflect the institute’s heritage in this process of modernisation.
What was changed?
We updated our logo, font, colours, imagery, email templates and website. View our new brand guidelines here.
Logo, font and colours
The Three Graces have long been our brand’s distinctive icon. We wanted to retain their structure but give them a modern look. The Graces were too detailed for digital formats, so they were simplified, with thin strokes being replaced by solid forms ensuring the logo was easy to use across all platforms and devices and at all sizes.
CIPA’s primary font was changed to Manrope, a modern sans-serif font.
Imagery
The institute’s visual style was brought up-to-date to add a dynamic feel to our brand. The images utilise our new corporate colour palette and are mixed with a half tone effect to provide contrast and to chime with the dot matrix element of our new corporate identity.
New features
We have many new online features for both members and non-members.
Additions for members include:
- Direct access to past webinar recordings via the website – simply filter the year of the webinar, select the webinar you are looking for, complete the purchase (free for members) and obtain the link to the recording;
- CIPA Journals are now digitised on the website, meaning you can read the Journal more easily online. There is the option of a PDF download if preferred;
- The ‘members list’ was reinstated, due to popular demand, to help members easily search for fellow members. To opt into the members’ list, members should log in to their account and go to ‘My Profile’. This can be found by clicking your personal profile button at the top of the menu;
- Application processes were digitised, including the Patent Examination Board registration and the Introductory Patent Paralegal Course application, replacing the old cumbersome and time-consuming paper-based systems with easy-to-use, online registration forms;
- Our discussion boards were updated to a modern chat forum. There is a General Discussion board that all members can use to raise topical issues and items they want to speak with fellow members about. Each of CIPA’s committees have their own discussion board to aid communication and to keep documents and materials in one place, rather than across different email chains.
- Our e-shop has had a makeover and can now be found under ‘Study Guides and Books’.
- We have developed a ‘CPD log’ which can be found on your personal dashboard, which automatically records and tracks your continuing professional development.
- If you’ve received an invoice from us addressed to you, you will now be able to enter the invoice number and make a card payment from your personal dashboard. Upon successful payment a PDF receipt will be generated and sent to you directly.
Additions for non-members include:
- A new Diversity & Inclusion section featuring CIPA’s commitment to its members and the latest news on Diversity & Inclusion from the institute.
- The membership application process has been digitised so it is now easier than ever to apply to be a member of CIPA.
- A new easy-to-use jobs board has been created for listing and applying for jobs in the IP industry.
- There is a new look to the Find a Patent Attorney section of the website which will now allow users to enter the organisation they are looking for and/or simply enter a location for a general search within that specific area. We believe this change will provide members of the public with the IP support they are searching for but will also represent IP organisations equally.
As well as these new additions, each existing page on the website has been fully redesigned to ensure it is easy to use and fit for purpose. Our email and PowerPoint templates have also been redesigned in line with our new brand and website.