Updates

Need a couple of days before selecting a winner

Thank you to all designers for the first round of submissions. I’d like to provide clearer guidance to help refine the next phase of designs.

What is working:
• Clean, minimal concepts that feel professional, credible, and institutional
• Logos that rely on structure and restraint rather than decorative symbols
• Wordmark-led designs that feel appropriate for research, ethics, and sponsor-facing environments
• Clear articulation of the organization name and purpose

What is not working:
• Designs that feel dated, generic, or overly “healthcare cliché”
• Decorative or illustrative symbols without clear meaning
• Typography that feels too heavy, rigid, or harsh — I’m looking for something more refined and modern
• Overuse of bright red/blue or standard healthcare colour schemes

Design direction moving forward:
• The logo should feel quietly confident, modern, and systems-driven
• Minimalism is preferred, but with warmth and sophistication and a modern flair
• Typography is very important — I am open to exploring different typefaces and typographic balance
• Colour is flexible; I’m drawn to grounded, earthy palettes (olive or muted greens, charcoal, deep grey or blue-grey, soft whites/creams), with the option for very controlled accent colours (e.g., mustard, deep plum, or subtle bold tones used sparingly)

Brand positioning:
ACREO (Align Community Research Enablement Organization) exists to provide the stable, trusted framework that enables community-based research to happen where care actually takes place. The brand should feel credible, modern, and enduring — not loud or trend-driven.

I’m looking for refinement, cohesion, and a sense of thoughtful confidence rather than more concepts that feel busy or generic. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing how the next round evolves with this guidance.

Added Wednesday, 14 January 2026