NAACLS has been in a time of change for the past year, drafting new standards, receiving public comment, and refining those standards. While NAACLS staff is finalizing details on the 2024 Standards (and accompanying documents), we are also beginning the implementation of a different kind of change – a refreshed brand. Over the past year, NAACLS staff have engaged with branding experts with extensive post-secondary education and healthcare backgrounds. These branding experts dove deep into NAACLS history, got to know our organizational peers, and gained a unique understanding of the NAACLS culture through interviews with current and former board members, review committee members, and external stakeholders.

The culmination of those interviews, as well as the NAACLS mission, vision, values, and Standards, has helped inform a way of thinking about why NAACLS exists—to continually raise the standard to fuel positive health outcomes and advance laboratory science around the world.

To achieve this goal, NAACLS must rely on core pillars established by our volunteers over the past fifty years. These pillars are our reputation as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, our willingness to adapt and evolve to drive educational innovation, an accreditation process committed to being uplifting and supportive, and a fierce belief in the unmatched potential that emerges when volunteers from multiple educational disciplines collectively bring their passion and expertise to the organization.

Over the coming months and years, NAACLS will emphasize these foundational pillars as we continue to engage with our volunteers and develop new ways to bring more perspectives and expertise into the NAACLS community.

In addition to a renewed message, our new NAACLS logo symbolizes where we have been while charting a course for our organization’s future. Composed of two nested arrows, the logo represents several key ideas: 1) continued upward momentum, capitalizing on our 50 years of history while  focusing on the next 50 years and beyond; 2) the partnerships between NAACLS, our volunteer network, and our programs, as well as our professional partners; and 3) an abstraction of the AA in our name, standing for the heart of our offer as an Accrediting Agency.

Color-wise, the logo continues to carry through the blue from our previous two logos.  The navy blue acknowledges the tradition and history that set the foundation of NAACLS, while the brighter electric blue conveys the excitement of the organization’s continued growth and momentum.

The implementation of the new logo and brand will be gradual. You can expect changes to documents, staff email signatures, and other visual elements over the coming months. More complex components, such as the NAACLS Website, are expected to be completed after the first of the year.

We share these changes with deep pride and brimming excitement, pride in the amazing achievements we have accomplished so far, and excitement for what is around the corner. Thank you to all the volunteers who played a critical role in establishing the foundation of excellence that NAACLS currently enjoys. We are eager to build on that foundation as we embark on the next chapter.