Our shared vision comes to life: Introducing the ACC’s new LOOk
It’s been years in the making — our team at The Alpine Club of Canada is excited to reveal our fresh, new look with you!
A heartfelt thank you goes out to sections and members across the country who shared your voices, values, and time to bring this project to the finish line. The moment is finally here to celebrate this new chapter in our history.
FINDING OURSELVES
“The ACC is a place where both newcomers and highly experienced mountain lovers can contribute and share in their experiences. This branding is a wonderful step towards creating a welcoming path that will greatly benefit both the committed long-standing members as well as the brand new ones.”
As an organization spanning 118 years of service, and with 25 unique club sections run by volunteers across the country, our identity is complex and continually evolving.
Sparked by COVID-19, something special happened when we embarked on a two-year, seven-stage, club-wide visioning process in 2022. Common themes emerged, and we found that the key values that have united us since our inception in 1906 continue to bring us together. These are:
a desire for belonging and community
passion for stewardship and protection of the environments where we recreate
and the pursuit of transcendent experiences, moments of joy, clarity and meaning that we find in the mountains.
It was clear that a new logo and brand identity would help to reflect these values, honour the club’s heritage, and be a welcoming place for mountaineers of all levels of experience to find community.
THE PROCESS
Spurred by challenges faced during the pandemic, the club looked inward and asked “What can we do to strengthen and support our community, ensuring we thrive as a welcoming place for new generations of members over the next 100 years?”
Through a visioning process undertaken in 2022 and 2023, we came together through a lengthy series of online focus groups, followed by an all-members survey, where no idea was off the table. Our members, sections, staff, board and the community at-large provided ideas about how the ACC can improve our offering and support the hundreds of volunteers who are the heart of the club.
WHAT WE HEARD
Among the key learnings from this process, we heard over and over again that improving our brand identity and communication was imperative to supporting our sections. So our team at the national office dove in, engaging an award-winning brand consultancy and design firm to help distill the club’s big ideas and common values into a cohesive and meaningful brand identity, one flexible enough to reflect the uniqueness of our sections while strengthening a sense of belonging to the broader ACC community.
THE BIG REVEAL
A refreshed colour palette
This new palette harkens back to the “Green, Grey, White” of our heritage, while bringing a breath of fresh air to our brand. Each colour represents a different aspect of who we are:
BLUE SLATE: Legacy / Reliability / Knowledge / Trust
FOREST GREEN: Forests / Renewal / Nature / Harmony
GLACIAL TEAL: Ice / Glaciers / Water / Hope
ARCTIC WHITE: Snow / New Beginnings / Simplicity
A BOLD NEW LOGO
The club’s new logo is infused with meaning about what the ACC stands for and the values we embody. The metaphors that are represented in the design help us tell many stories about who we are.
This new logo is timeless, versatile, simple, relevant, and memorable: all qualities of a great logo! Our team at the national office has been working with it for the past month, in preparation for the big reveal, and we’ve been very happy with how versatile it is.
Symbols that tell our story:
MOUNTAIN and LETTER “A” SHAPE: Mountains and nature are at the core of who we are. Reflective of a mountain, the shape is gentle to reflect all of the sections across Canada, including those who do not have large mountains in their area.
LOCATION PIN (negative space at top center): No matter where you are in Canada, you are here; a part of The Alpine Club of Canada. Wherever you are on your mountaineering journey, you can find yourself here.
ROPE-KNOT-LINES: The threads represent the core of the brand — connection and self discovery in the mountain landscape. We may be on our own journeys, but we're united by our shared love of mountaineering and personal growth. Reminiscent of topographic lines on a map, our club welcomes people of all backgrounds and abilities to seek adventure together.
“The Alpine Club of Canada has long celebrated, from its very inception, the coming together of various strands of cultural life: of sport and athleticism, of education and science, and of the shared joy for the magic of the mountains. There’s no better metaphor than the climbers’ rope to take us forward. ”
BRINGING BACK a CLASSIC
Paired with this new brand identity, we’ve chosen to bring the 1969 ACC emblem back to represent the ACC’s legacy, leadership, trust and experience. The 1969 emblem is a powerful symbol, and in specific applications such as on commemoratives, plaques, and other items of historical importance, we’re elevating its status and significance. In acknowledgement of our history, and to honour the ongoing legacy of the volunteers and members who contribute their time and efforts to the club, this emblem will receive prestigious and prominent placement.
THE NEW brand in action
Click through to see a few applications of the new logo and brand on a variety of our ACC channels.
THIS WAY TO THE STARS
“Ever-shifting mountainscapes, trees stretching to meet the sky, the drum of cold rushing water—in the mountains we find solace, connection, adventure and the feeling of being alive.
Up here, stories strike deeper, friendships hold harder and experiences are the kind that stick to your soul.”
The ACC is still Canada’s longest-running mountain club. The word “community” is crucial to all we do, and our vision is still “to bring together, and give voice to, Canada’s mountaineering community.”
So, although we have a fresh look and feel, community, stewardship and adventure will always be at our core.
The new visual elements are a beautiful reflection of the welcoming nature of our club and will help to usher in the next generation of mountaineers who are ready to learn from this amazing community. Thank you for being part of this new chapter in the club’s history!
See you in the hills,
Your friends at the ACC office in Canmore
Questions or ideas to add?
Shoot us a message at brand@alpineclubofcanada.ca. Thank you!