Abstract

In 2016, Arconic Inc. broke apart from its parent company, Alcoa Inc. The company is focused on turning aluminum and other lightweight metals into engineered products such as turbine blades for sectors including aerospace and automotive. In creating this new company, Arconic needed its own website. That’s where I come in.

Introduction

Arconic is built on a heritage of innovation that began with Alcoa’s founding in 1888, helping shape the aerospace, automotive and construction industries since the days of the Wright brothers and Henry Ford. Following their separation from Alcoa in 2016, Arconic launched as a global leader in multi-material, precision-engineered products and solutions for high-growth markets. Today they continue to build on their innovative history to help transform the way we fly, drive, build and power.

Objectives

• Distinct Identity: Ensure that the externally created logo and associated branding elements effectively distinguish Arconic from its former parent company, Alcoa, while maintaining a cohesive and unique visual identity.
• Consistency: Ensure consistency across all branding materials and touchpoints to establish trust and recognition in the market.
• Alignment with Mission and Values: Align the rebranding with Arconic's mission and values, reflecting its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence in materials science and engineering.
• Market Adaptation: Tailor the branding to specific markets and industries that Arconic serves to resonate effectively with aerospace, automotive, construction, or other sectors.
• Engagement: Develop a branding strategy that engages both internal and external stakeholders, fostering employee pride and customer understanding of the new identity.
  

The Solutions

We began by defining the site’s primary external users, including potential hires, investors, analysts, media, influencers and customers. Applying our user-centered design philosophy, we sought to understand the journeys that each persona would make on the site, and how they would seek to navigate through it.

Utilizing these user personas, we were then able to create the building blocks for the Arconic site. We created a modular, image-driven site with the support of well-written copy. This structure created a strong ‘story-telling’ skeleton across the site.

As a great majority of the traffic to the website came from investors and media, we created a robust investors’ section, utilizing infographics to help amplify important investor messages.

Behind the scenes, we created a robust CMS to allow for ongoing changes as the site and business evolved. We built templates that allowed for a large amount of flexibility in site structure, to accommodate future expansions without sacrificing usability or branding.

We then worked with the employees in charge of making changes and updates, and trained them on governance so that they could easily maintain and grow the site post-launch.

Outcomes

The simple and intuitive navigational structure meant that there was a very low learning curve for users, providing them with an optimized online experience. The new, robust website was responsively designed for tablet and mobile experiences, maximizing the visual impact for users.

With a streamlined and intuitive user experience, and a bold, modern design, the Arconic website now tells a results-focused story that highlights their solutions, benefits, products and projects. And it is free to grow with the company.