Unlike the time in college when, desiring a change, I shaved the mustache I had lovingly nurtured from a mere wisp as a 15-year-old looking to be taken more seriously to something resembling an actual physical statement only to receive quizzical stares from family and friends that said, “Something about you is different, but I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is,” there is no mistaking the changes HPAC Engineering recently has undergone.
Let’s start with the soon-to-be-published July issue of the magazine. With the goal to refresh, not necessarily reinvent, the look of our print product, we implemented a new logo, a new color palette, and new typography families, aiming for something more contemporary and cleaner-looking.
Those changes are minor compared with the ones you see when you visit HPAC.com. Designed to provide an improved overall user experience emphasizing real-time interactions and deep content engagement, our new website features infinite scrolling, richer visuals, and faster page loading. What’s more, with a responsive design, it is optimized for mobile devices, meaning our content is much easier to access and read on tablets and smartphones.
Speaking of content, with our new look and new functionality will come an expansion of our editorial focus. While building connectivity, energy management, and renewables integration are not entirely—and, in some cases, are hardly—new topics for HPAC Engineering, our users have indicated a need and a desire to know more, and we intend to oblige them. Do not worry—we still intend to provide the content on cooling, heating, humidity control, and the like you have come to know and expect from us. You can browse our content by subject via the dropdown menu in the upper-left corner of our homepage.
All of this is part of a larger effort to create a more recognizable brand system within Penton’s Buildings group, which includes mechanical (HPAC Engineering, Contracting Business, Contractor, Contractor Leadership Live, HVAC Talk), electrical (EC&M, Electrical Marketing, Electrical Wholesaling), and facilities (American School & University, School Designs) brands dedicated to providing information, education, and insight for cost-effective and energy-efficient building infrastructure. If you visit the website of any of these properties, which I encourage you to do, you will see much greater consistency in look and feel.
Please let me know what you think of the changes by writing to me at [email protected].