GEN — Engineering a Global Identity
How do you unite 2,000 engineers across continents under one meaningful symbol?
GEN (Global Engineering Network) represents the engineering heartbeat of ACS Group — a network of brilliant minds working on infrastructure, energy, and technology projects that shape our world. But brilliance scattered across legacy companies needed more than coordination. It needed identity.
The Challenge
Complexity disguised as simplicity.
On the surface, GEN needed a logo. In reality, they needed to solve a much deeper problem: how to transform fragmented engineering excellence into a unified force without losing the individual strength of each company.
The real challenges were invisible:
- Multiple legacy companies with established identities
- Complex co-branding hierarchies (especially with HOCHTIEF)
- Geographic diversity requiring cultural sensitivity
- The tension between engineering precision and human connection
This wasn't about making something pretty. It was about making something that works across boardrooms in Madrid, construction sites in Asia, and partnership presentations worldwide.
The Insight
Structure and flow. Discipline and adaptation.
Working alongside Future Forward's strategic foundation, we discovered that GEN's strength lay in its duality. Engineers are methodical, yet creative. Global, yet local. Precise, yet human.
The identity needed to reflect this paradox — not resolve it, but celebrate it.
The Solution
Typography as infrastructure.
We built the identity around custom letterforms that mirror how engineers think: circular exteriors expressing adaptability and collaboration, while linear interiors represent the discipline and precision that define excellent engineering.
The color palette draws from the materials engineers know intimately — concrete, steel, glass — but treated with warmth and sophistication. We chose Suisse Int'l as the supporting typeface for its clarity and international sensibility.
But the real innovation was in the system's modularity. Like good engineering, every component had to work independently while strengthening the whole.
The System
Designed for reality, not perfection.
A comprehensive brand manual that addresses the messy realities of global business:
Hierarchical Flexibility : Clear rules for co-branding with partners like HOCHTIEF, ensuring GEN's identity remains strong while respecting existing relationships.
Cultural Adaptability: Guidelines that work across different markets and cultural contexts without losing core meaning.
Scalable Implementation: From email signatures to large-scale presentations, every touchpoint reinforces the brand's dual nature of precision and humanity.
Future-Ready Framework: Built to evolve as GEN grows, acquires new companies, or enters new markets.
The Impact
Identity that enables, not just identifies.
GEN now has more than a logo: they have a visual language that helps 2,000 engineers see themselves as part of something larger. The system successfully bridges the gap between individual company cultures and collective ambition.
The modular approach means internal teams can implement the brand consistently without constant oversight, while the sophisticated co-branding guidelines ensure partnerships enhance rather than dilute GEN's presence.
Most importantly, the identity reflects what GEN actually is: a network of brilliant people building the future, one precise decision at a time.
Project Credits:
- Strategy: Future Forward
- Visual Identity: Reino Studio
- Scope: Brand identity, typography, guidelines, implementation system|
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