NETL Logo

Back in 1999, the Federal Energy Technology Center was transitioned to the National Energy Technology Laboratory.  This occurred fairly quickly and a new logo was needed to be developed to signify its improved status.

Branding efforts began with 10 designers taking part in the effort. The main focus for the redesign was to depict energy within the logo. Many ideas were presented (NETL-early logos) and the choices were narrowed down to the three shown here.

Upper management wasn’t 100% certain they liked the way these looked “as is” so I was tasked to provide different iterations which included color choices, sizes, and reversed format.  Upon review they narrowed it down to the first logo with the burst around the bulb.

They still had doubts about the “light bulb” since the Laboratory went beyond electricity research. The Lab focuses on coal, natural gas and oil technologies as well as protecting the environment and enhancing energy independence. So they needed something a bit more generic but still reflect a “bright” future.

Since the “burst” effect was something they liked, I eliminated the base of the light bulb, rotated it and extended the bottom section of the “burst” to tie in with the tag line. I also changed some of the lengths of the “burst” so that it was less exact giving it more dimension. We tried several different color variations but they felt blue was the best bet.

Over the years, the tag-line has been eliminated within the actual logo and instead it resides alongside it, either above or to the right. The color of blue has also been changed. For 17 years the logo had been used in everything from business documentation and publications to flash drives and signage throughout the sites.