A new light. A new day.

A new brand.

OSA has an exciting new name and look.

• Image Credit  

  The Spiral Bow Laser; Alberto A. Tufaile, Soft Matter Lab, EACH-USP

Optica, formerly OSA, the society advancing optics and photonic worldwide, is a leader of excellence, delivering high-quality scientific and technical information that is authoritative, accessible and archived.

The new brand, Optica, builds on our history of discovery and innovation. Since 1916, the society has been the world’s leading champion for optics and photonics, uniting and educating scientists, engineers, educators, technicians and business leaders worldwide. Optica currently serves 432,000 customers from 181 countries.

Our organization’s mission has stayed substantially on the same course its charter members envisioned over a century ago. The significance of the field, the genius of the OSA founders, and the remarkable dedication of those who followed enabled the society to become the global forum for light science and technology that it is today.

In concert with the rapid development of the field, the scope and reach of our organization continue to expand at an ever-quickening pace. This growth inspired leadership to carefully consider whether our name reflected the society’s work, constituents, and future.

In 2017, the Board of Directors launched a multi-faceted examination of our name and its alignment with the organization as a whole. This work included wide-reaching consultation with the diverse customers we serve. Communications, branding, and design experts advised us along the way as we methodically searched for an identity that signifies the vibrant, global association we are today. We also understood that a new name must be expansive enough to remain relevant to the future generations who will change our field and the world for the better. At the conclusion of much study, Optica, Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, emerged as the best representation of the society.