Setting the standard for a connected IoT industry
Connectivity Standards Alliance
Office: New York
Established in 2002, the Zigbee Alliance was formed to create, maintain, and deliver open global standards for the IoT, originally based on Zigbee technology. Having evolved since its inception, the Alliance, with a wide-ranging global membership, currently oversees multiple standards for the Internet of Things (IoT).
With the Zigbee Alliance having outgrown its name and direct 1:1 connection to its original protocol, Interbrand’s challenge was to create a new brand that could represent the Alliance as the foundation and future of the IoT and as an organization with far greater reach and responsibility, enabling collaboration and innovation across the industry.
Interbrand built a fact base whilst collaborating alongside a working group that included members from the Alliance, Apple, Amazon, Google, SmartThings, Schneider Electric, and NXP Semiconductors. Working in this style felt true to the nature of the Alliance itself, which had long established itself as a catalyst for creativity and collaboration amongst its members.
Findings pointed toward an approach to naming: (1) retain the equity built into “Alliance” as a descriptor, (2) be descriptive and broad enough to capture all the standards the Alliance oversees now and, in the future, (3) speak to connections – this is what the Alliance enables between members. The Connectivity Standards Alliance was created.
Our goal was to capture the feeling of an organization that helps people, and their organizations truly work together, progressing the field of IoT.
The monogram, the short form CSA, is stylized with a connective ligature reflecting the joining together of members, of companies, and of the smart world.
As a member-driven association, we have a large set of passionate, actively involved stakeholders. Thanks to Interbrand’s process, we ensured many disparate POVs were addressed, making for an enjoyable process and a great outcome.
Tobin Richardson, President and CEO, Connectivity Standards Alliance
CSA’s role is as a connector of ideas and people in the technology industry. It’s a place to share thoughts, speak to peers and grow important bridges between individuals and companies. To represent that spirit, we created the font ‘Assemble’, which has 127 unique ligatures that join specific characters together, instantly turning any headline copy into a simple, but powerful branded moment.
The Connectivity Standard’s Alliance (CSA) was created at the same time as Matter, the new standard for IoT connectivity.
