Sten and the Gold Mine: What Can Children’s Stories Teach
21st December 2016
01: How to create a new platform for pre-operative assessment – Dr Paul Upton
28th April 2017
A few weeks ago I discussed some important considerations for healthcare professional logos. It made me wonder, there is a healthcare logo that the majority of people in the U.K recognise. Given that accident and emergency pressures are a hot topic currently, let’s dive in…
The white bold letters with the red background. Sometimes simply a H or A&E.
It is an excellent logo. It is simple, memorable, the red colour signifies an emergency with red being perceived as danger and traditionally being associated with blood and fire. Furthermore, the logo is consistent across the nation, so people always know where they can get help.
The font-based logo is the most powerful sub-brand of the NHS.
As I discussed in my last post, a logo is the visual representation of everything an institution stands for. What are some of the representations of A & E to patients?
- Open 24/7
- A place for quality healthcare for emergency situations
- Free healthcare
- A place to get well
- Potentially a place to get quicker access to treatment and investigations
I am sure there are plenty more representations, and of course, there are numerous differing views on such a ‘hot’ topic.
However, the brand of A&E is powerful, but is it responsible for the increases in demands on our accident and emergency departments?
Of course, it’s not that simple to answer. You could argue that an ageing population is leading to more health complexity and demand. Equally, are more people using A&E because it can offer so much? And that ‘emergency’ is defined by an individual and this is obviously different for everyone?
The fact is, from a branding perspective, A&E has a strength and promise that many companies would envy. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, to help cope with demand, sub-brands of A & E could be developed to more effectively direct people to the right services.
