The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists launches a new icon, updating its venerable ink bottle for the digital age 

DURHAM, NC — The AAEC has a new look. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, a professional organization that promotes the interests of political cartoonists and comics journalists in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has unveiled its new logo

"After sixty years of distinguished service we are retiring the old ink bottle logo," said Salt Lake Tribune cartoonist and AAEC President Pat Bagley. "It was iconic and carried us for decades, but it was also archaic."

The AAEC, formed by a cadre of newspaper staff cartoonists in the spring of 1957, celebrated its 60th anniversary last year.

"Our progenitors universally worked in black and white; an updated color logo reflects the reality that we experience today as cartoonists where most of us seem to work in, well, color, and are rarely ink-stained anymore. We're going with something that better captures our twenty-first century selves."

The logo, designed by graphic artist JP Trostle, is the first element of a new look for the journalism organization. A new website is planned for later this year in the run up to its annual convention, when editorial cartoonists and graphic journalists from around the world gather for a three-day confab.

This year's convention will take place Sept. 20-23, 2018, in Sacramento, CA. (For details on the gathering, go to https://www.aaeccartoonists.org/)

For more information, contact AAEC digital editor JP Trostle at japenet@gmail.com or Pat Bagley at pfbagley@gmail.com.

The AAEC is dedicated to the promotion of political art in American life and the celebration of free speech and a free press as essential to a healthy democracy.

And now, drum roll please…