Anania Bailey recently created a comprehensive branding project for MaineHealth’s philanthropy department. The project involved developing a logo and a brand palette for Healthcare Heroes, which is their philanthropic outreach program. Our founders Peter and Dustyn take us through the whole thought process that went behind several proposed concepts before finally being able to come up with the new logo.

MaineHealth’s Healthcare Heroes program already had a logo and established brand for quite some time, but it needed freshening up. The client wanted us to design a logomark that was not only reflective of healthcare workers symbolically, but could also be easily rolled out physically in the form of lapel pins for workers to wear on their scrubs or their coats.

During the first phase of the project, we came up with three brand concepts. As part of our initial concept, we created a logo with two hands intertwined in a circle, which demonstrates a sense of cooperation between different healthcare professionals. Additionally, the circle shape allows the logo to be easily replicated into a badge or pin for healthcare workers. During the early stages, we presented this concept to determine whether this is something that resonates with our client. It gave us a lot of insight on where to take the project next.

The second concept is a much more illustrated version of the brand itself. It is comprised of a chickadee, which of course is Maine’s state bird. The chickadee often travels in flocks, representing the teamwork required for high quality patient care. In the illustration, the bird has a little heart tucked into its wings, giving it a caring and compassionate style. While not part of the color palette, the gold is brought in intentionally to make the logo stand out.

The pre-existing logo that Healthcare Heroes used consisted of a hand holding two daisies. Thus, for our third concept we wanted to try incorporating elements of the old branding, so we reimagined the flower, broke it down into circles, and then brought in a different colored star in the center. The mark uses the inside texture of a daisy as a reference to the program’s history, while the star is a symbol of recognition, making the logomark instantly recognizable when worn as a pin or seen as a banner. The logo radiates out from a faint yellow to brighter orange color towards the rim.

Upon submitting our drafted concepts, the star and flower concept was the most well-received. With more feedback from the client on their tastes and preferences, we decided to style a revised logomark that ensured that the next draft was in line with MaineHealth’s pre-existing brand.

Our team was especially drawn to the bird illustration concept. However, we understood the needs of Healthcare Heroes and ultimately decided to push for the star and flower concept. It was more suited to the parent brand and more in line with the client’s tastes.

After screening different ideas, we decided to go back to our original ideas – taking the old brand, rejuvenating it, and making it new. For the final round of edits, we used the classic red color from the larger organization of MaineHealth as a backdrop for the flower. We styled it as per the overarching brand guidelines and applied some finishing touches so that it could be used by the client straightaway.

Once a logo is finalized, the next steps involve creating a set of sub-brand guidelines that speak specifically about the logo, and how it interacts with the parent brand guidelines. Additionally, we provide several logo variations for different kinds of printing and for producing the lapel pins.

At Anania Bailey, we work closely with our clients during the branding process to make sure we fulfill all the requirements and create a stellar final product. If you have any queries write to us at Info@ananiabailey.com or schedule a consultation with us by calling at (207) 406-9662.