Established in 1943, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) aims to "help members of the U.S. precision custom manufacturing industry achieve profitable growth and business success in a global economy through advocacy, advice, education, networking, information, programs and services." Citing a misunderstanding of American manufacturing as being in trouble, NTMA wants to make sure everyone understands that is not the case and that this community is thriving. With 50 chapters across the U.S., NTMA counts with nearly 2,000 members — "members" are counted as businesses not individuals — covering industries "from aerospace to electronics to nuclear power." The new identity was designed by Atlanta, GA-based Matchstic.
Old materials.
The new brand mark is an evolution of the previous logo, refined and updated. We retained some defining characteristics — the color and shape — but recast it in a richer shade of blue with custom lettering. The new identity reflects experience and precision.
— Matchstic Case Study
I was almost going to say that the old logo wasn't that bad — in that un-logo-less, inoffensive way — but then I saw that the "T" ate the serifs of the "N" and "M" next to it. I got offended. The old logo could have been for any non-profit whatsoever and didn't reflect any kind of allusion to manufacturing. The new logo looks like it has been manufactured and chiseled with a precision machine and in the full-color application with the shine and shadows it looks like a badge that could go on the grill of a car or the door of a refrigerator. The logo is now much more appropriate and relevant, although it's certainly not the best thing since the Industrial Revolution. On first instinct I want to like it, there is something blunt and industrial about it that catches my attention, but on the details and execution it doesn't quite hold up: What does the diagonal line mean? If the angle of the "N" matches that line, why wouldn't the notches in the "T" and "M" match too? Why is the crossbar in the "A" so short? Why is there so little space after the "A"? One more round of refinement and customization would have yielded a stronger logo.
The logo placement feels unresolved throughout in the rest of the identity but somehow it strikes a good balance of being contemporary and having a blue collar look and feel. The use of OCR-A, always a hard trick to pull off, works well used sparingly. Overall, an improvement for sure, but it just needed a little extra kick to take it to the next level.
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