Welcome to the new SCOTS website!
Our new site has been designed as a useful and dynamic source of information on SCOTS work for the transportation community and wider public alike.
Its easy to navigate structure highlights work undertaken via the working groups and programmes whilst also spotlighting key news stories.
Working with our members, we aim to enhance knowledge sharing and the provision of relevant and informative content for all visitors.
Our Name
Work to update SCOTS’ image included not only the launch of the new website, but a refresh of the name and brand logo too.
Since its founding, SCOTS stood for the “Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland”. As times changed however, it became clear the name behind the acronym no longer reflected the inclusive and collaborative approach to our work that had evolved.
Given the respected profile and name recognition SCOTS had built up through the years, the challenge was to update the name but keep the acronym. Discussion and animated debate led to agreement on our new name:
“Scottish Collaboration of Transportation Specialists”
The use of ‘transportation specialists’ enables membership and encourages contribution from officers at all levels within the organisations that support and benefit from our work. This also helps pave the way for a broader diversity of discussion and greater, more effective, collaboration in future.
Our Logo
In parallel, we worked with the Improvement Service to modernise the logo. Our aim was to develop a logo that positively communicated the broad nature of work SCOTS are involved in.
As design ideas progressed, it was agreed that whilst roads remain a critical part of transportation, these should not be the main focal point. Instead, to communicate the sectors diversity and challenges, it was felt both active and traditional transportation modes as well as climate change should be incorporated.
In the end, the concept that was selected was one of the simplest. Anchored by the overarching image of a modern bridge, five icons representing different modes of travel including cycling, walking and train as well as a triangular warning sign representing climate issues, are displayed underneath. Taken as a whole, the bridge and travel icons help covey the breadth of our work whilst also creating a connecting link between them all.
Finally, the logo displays our name at the bottom as well as the strapline ‘connecting communities’. This finishes the overall look whilst reinforcing how SCOTS works with and for communities.