The Gypsum Association (GA) announced a new brand identity with a refreshed logo. A not-for-profit trade association representing the manufacturers of gypsum panel products in the US and Canada, the Association serves as the center of expertise on the handling, storage, specification, and proper installation of this expanding family of gypsum-based sheet products. The refreshed logo reflects the Gypsum Association's enduring commitment to its members and to consumers of this ubiquitous building material commonly known as drywall or wallboard.

The rebranding reflects both continuity and change. The 2016 logo retains the flame element, highlighting gypsum board's established role as a building product that provides fire resistance. The Association's continued engagement in traditional, but vitally important, building codes and standards work is underscored, particularly the significant role gypsum panel products play in fire resistive design assemblies. Just last year, the Gypsum Association published the 21st edition of GA-600-2015 Fire Resistance and Sound Control Design Manual, which has been referenced by the model building codes as a source of fire resistive designs for more than 40 years.

At the same time, the 86-year old Association has taken on new roles in the building products sector where, for example, sustainability and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) are recently emerged, but widely desired attributes. The Association released its second industry-wide environmental product declaration (EPD) in September. The EPD provides vital environmental performance information on exterior glass mat gypsum panels by addressing energy consumption, water consumption, global warming, waste, air emissions and other metrics related to production.

Acoustics, a mainstay of the Manual for decades, has gained increasing traction as concerns for occupant comfort has increased within both the LEED certification program and the building codes.

The new logo design embraces both the traditional and more contemporary aspects of the Association's mission to advance the development, growth, and general welfare of the gypsum industry. Moreover, the design acknowledges the full range of innovative gypsum panel products that Association members offer. Newer specialized performance panels provide fire resistance, mold and moisture resistance and abuse and impact resistance. Other specialized performance products, such as exterior gypsum sheathing and gypsum shaftliner, have become viable alternatives to wood and/or masonry products. Reflecting the expansion of gypsum panel product offerings, the stack of wallboard depicted in previous iterations of the logo now suggests more: It can be seen either as a series of horizontal boards or as an entire building. The new mark acknowledges the multiple contributions gypsum panel products now make to the built environment.

"The new logo speaks directly to the constant innovation of our member companies," says Gypsum Association Executive Director Stephen H. Meima. "Gypsum panel products have been and will continue to be the preferred solution for interior wall assemblies, but that is no longer the only role they play in building design and construction. Specialized performance boards increasingly are used as key components of exterior envelopes and elevator shafts, to name just a few examples. The new logo represents both the time honored use of gypsum wallboard for fire resistance and acoustic control as well as the expansion of our members' product lines to address myriad building challenges as well as demands for sustainability, transparency, and resilience."