STC is 70!

2023 is our Platinum Anniversary year.

Leading the Future

Our ever-changing profession is still going strong 70 years later. We’ll celebrate by offering webinars and archival Intercom articles, special events during Tech Comm week in January 2023, an anniversary celebration at the 2023 STC Summit in Atlanta, GA in May 2023, and more.

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STC 70th Anniversary Logo
Summits of the Past
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From Humble Beginnings

Two organizations dedicated to improving the practice of technical communication started in 1953. After a winding path, those two organizations merged and eventually became the Society for Technical Communication, the oldest professional association dedicated to the advancement of technical communication.

Our Origin Story

The origin of technical communication has been attributed to various eras: Ancient Greece and Egypt, the Renaissance, and the mid-twentieth century. However, the professional field was firmly established during the First World War, growing out of the need for technology-based documentation in the military, manufacturing, electronic, and aerospace industries.

In the United States, two organizations concerned with improving the practice of technical communication were founded on the East Coast in 1953: the Society of Technical Writers and the Association of Technical Writers and Editors. These organizations merged in 1957 to form the Society of Technical Writers and Editors (STWE).

STWE merged with the Technical Publishing Society in 1960 in an effort to extend the organization’s size and reach. It was via this merger that the Society of Technical Writers and Publishers was born. Over the next eleven years, the organization flourished, continuing to grow and expand its membership. In 1971, the organization changed its name to the Society for Technical Communication.

In the early 2000s, STC grew as the growth of online content exploded and the need for content professionals expanded with it. The advent of new software tools for developing content significantly increased the impact of technical communicators. In 2009, the Society successfully lobbied the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics to recognize Technical Writer as a discrete profession to be tracked by the Department of Labor.

Today, the field (and STC) continues to grow and change. The Society for Technical Communication exists to help our members understand these changes in the field and to help them adapt their skills to the needs of the marketplace by offering educational opportunities (webinars, online courses and seminars, and conferences), a professional certification program, award-winning publications (Intercom magazine and the Technical Communication journal), an annual salary survey report and job bank, as well as a worldwide network. We are proud of the contributions STC members make in every industry and the benefits that consumers and society gain from clear, concise communication.

Join us to celebrate 70 years of technical communication! It’s going to be a great year!

To help commemorate our 70th anniversary, STC commissioned special anniversary logos. Visit the STC Logos page to download all our logos. Use them to promote your events in 2023 on your community website and commutations! Additionally, if you are presenting at Summit, use the logo on your slides.

Our Anniversary Logo

Visit the Past and Future

Hall of Presidents

STC has a history of strong leadership. Visit our Hall of Presidents and relive STC history.

The Once and Future Summit

Relive Summits of the past, and plan for the Summit of the future!