Corporate branding: NHS

Creating a consistent patient-centred brand identity for Europe's largest organisation

The brief

The NHS identity programme has rediscovered the brand, and used it as a catalyst for change. The competitive internal health market was removed and 1999 saw the birth of hundreds of new primary care-focused organisations. This provided a natural opportunity to address a national identity for the NHS.

We were asked to migrate 1,000 organisations to one. A single, unified identity for the NHS offered the opportunity to build a single brand, based on consistent values of care and professionalism.

The solution

The challenge was to develop an identity for the world's third largest organisation of over one million people. We devised a strategy that provided a clear direction for the many organisations in the NHS who often worked with limited resources.

The change service is delivered through online guidelines, a brand helpdesk and a workshop and training programme for communications managers.

Within the first six months of the identity being implemented, one example of centralised procurement demonstrated savings of £300,000 and millions of pounds have now been saved in the NHS by not commissioning new identities since its introduction.

"Top of my mind is the need to minimise spending on corporate identity in the health service, and solutions have been introduced that meet this need."
Judith Thomas, Head of Brand Management, NHS

DBA Design Effectiveness Award finalist 2002