Repositioning a 130-Year Legacy Brand for the Future of Advanced Materials
For more than 130 years, Asbury built its reputation as one of the world’s leading suppliers of graphite and carbon materials. But through strategic acquisitions, expanded capabilities, and investment in material science, the company had evolved into something much larger.
They needed an evolved identity that reflected Asbury’s transformation into a global advanced materials partner while preserving the trust and credibility built over more than a century.
My Role
- Creative Direction
- Brand Positioning
- Logo Design & Identity Refresh
- Website Design
- Visual Strategy
- UX Strategy & Information Architecture
- Content Strategy
- Design System Development
- Cross-functional Collaboration with Content, SEO, Marketing & Development
The opportunity
From Carbon Supplier to Advanced Materials Partner
Recent acquisitions, proprietary technologies, and new material innovations positioned the company as a global leader in advanced materials, yet the brand still communicated a legacy carbon supplier.
The opportunity was to reposition the company around expertise, innovation, and technical partnership, broadening market perception while creating a brand capable of supporting future acquisitions, new technologies, and long-term growth.
brand discovery
Establishing Brand Pillars/Attributes
Before sketching logos or exploring visual concepts, we first established the strategic foundation that would guide every creative decision. Together with leadership, we defined the brand pillars, audience, positioning, personality, and long-term business objectives. These became our decision-making framework throughout branding, messaging, and digital design.
Expertise & Authority
Over 130 years of material science leadership and technical knowledge.
Performance & Precision
Every product is engineered to solve complex industrial challenges through measurable performance.
Partnership & Trust
More than a supplier, Asbury acts as a collaborative development partner throughout the innovation process.
Global Strength
Worldwide sourcing, manufacturing, and technical expertise provide resilience and confidence across global markets.
Innovation
The company continues to expand through acquisitions, proprietary technologies, and new material development.
Creative Direction
Exploring Visual Territories
Rather than jumping directly into design, I developed multiple visual territories that explored different ways the brand could express its new position in the market. Each concept balanced Asbury’s industrial heritage with a more contemporary expression of innovation, material science, and technical expertise.
Precision-Driven Modernity: A clean, scientific aesthetic built around structure, precision, and confidence.
Dark Authority: A bold visual language emphasizing enterprise scale, global leadership, and technical sophistication.
Artful Carbon Energy: A more experimental exploration highlighting innovation, advanced materials, and emerging technologies.
Logo Evolution
Modernizing a Legacy Identity
The original Asbury hexagon symbol contained valuable equity, so rather than replacing it, I refined its geometry, proportions, typography, and supporting system to better communicate precision, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
The updated identity also introduced a scalable logo system for digital applications, acquisitions, signage, apparel, and global marketing initiatives. The final guidelines emphasize refined geometry, engineered performance, and a consistent logo system across applications.
Visual Language
Building a Brand That Felt as Advanced as the Technology
Color: A refined palette of charcoal, steel blues, and cool neutrals communicates intelligence, technical precision, and industrial confidence while preserving recognizable brand equity. The brand guidelines describe each color’s strategic role, from Charcoal representing stability and expertise to Asbury Blue signaling intelligence and precision
Typography: Modern grotesk typography introduced greater clarity, stronger hierarchy, and a more contemporary presence across both digital and print applications.
Photography Macro textures, engineered materials, laboratory environments, and manufacturing imagery emphasized innovation over commodity.
Composition: editorial layouts, generous whitespace, and modular components helped communicate complex information with confidence and clarity.
digital strategy
Translating the Brand into a Digital Experience
The website became the primary expression of the new brand. Rather than organizing content around products alone, we restructured the experience around industries, applications, customer challenges, and technical solutions.
- Complete UX strategy and information architecture
- Industry-first navigation
- Product finder and filtering experience
- Solution-oriented messaging
- SEO strategy targeting problem-based search behavior
- Flexible Gutenberg design system
- Shopify integration for sample ordering
- Gated technical resources
- Scalable platform for future acquisitions
The strategy
A Transformation
Instead of simply modernizing the interface, every decision supported the broader repositioning effort.
Solutions over Products
Communicate customer outcomes before technical specifications.
Partner over Supplier
Position Asbury as an engineering and innovation partner rather than a commodity distributor.
Scientific over Industrial
Express precision, intelligence, and material expertise through the visual language.
Flexible over Fixed
Design a scalable identity capable of supporting acquisitions, new materials, and future growth.
Results
A Modern Brand that Reflects SWA’s Expertise and National Stature
- Streamlined content workflows and backend usability for the internal team
- Improved engagement metrics: increased session duration, better navigation, and more conversions
Tools Used: Figma, WordPress (Gutenberg), Adobe CC, Google Analytics, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, ClickDimensions
Services: UX Strategy, Creative Direction, Web Design, Content Architecture, Accessibility, SEO Guidance, Stakeholder Collaboration
Hannah Ellingson 