IMI plc is a British engineering company headquartered in Birmingham, England, formerly known as Imperial Metal Industries Limited before changing its name to IMI plc in December 1978. The company designs, manufactures, and services engineering products across fluid and motion control markets. Its corporate logo has undergone significant changes in recent years, most notably a shift from a blue and orange palette to a new purple identity.
Design and History
IMI’s corporate logo was originally established in 1970. In 2014, the company undertook a comprehensive brand refresh that covered its entire visual identity system, including the group, divisional, and product brand logos. The new logos were described as simpler, with greater emphasis on unity and coordination across the group. As part of this rebrand, the IMI Severe Service division was renamed IMI Critical Engineering, and IMI Fluid Power became IMI Precision Engineering. [1]
In 2024, IMI announced a major “One IMI” restructuring initiative to unite its portfolio under a single brand identity. The company transferred brand equity from 30 diverse sub-brands to a single, cohesive IMI brand. This effort was led by the brand consultancy Luminous, which created new positioning, an enhanced brand architecture, and a new visual identity for the FTSE 100 engineering group. [2]
As part of this transition, IMI Hydronic Engineering changed its name to simply IMI, operating under a newly established sector called Climate Control. The change took effect on October 7, 2024, and was marked by a bold new logo and a shift in corporate color from orange to purple. The updated logo and colors were gradually rolled out across digital channels, events, exhibition booths, and product branding. [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2024 rebrand introduced the “Better World” logo, which expresses IMI’s customer-centric, problem-solving approach and its purpose of “Breakthrough Engineering for a Better World.” The new visual identity was designed to unite the company’s five sectors under a flexible design system. [2] The vibrant purple color was chosen to represent a new era for the company, replacing the previous orange used in the corporate identity. [4]
Prior to the 2024 rebrand, IMI’s core brand color was blue, which was described by the company’s Group Communications Director as “a very engineering colour.” The decision to move away from blue generated internal discussion, given how strongly the color was associated with the engineering sector. [5]
Typography and Design
The current IMI logo is a typographic wordmark featuring the letters “IMI” in a modern, clean style. The 2024 redesign simplified the brand’s visual language, with product brands such as Norgren, Bimba, and Bahr being renamed to IMI Norgren, IMI Bimba, and IMI Bahr, each adopting a sleeker, more modern appearance aligned with the new identity. [6] The design system was created to be flexible enough to unite the company’s five sectors while maintaining consistency across all applications. [2]
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