I recently redesigned the Web Site for my Dad’s office (nothing like keeping in the family!), and in doing so realized how badly he also needed a new logo. Oftentimes that happens with clients — as you delve into their current materials, you realize several elements of their branding also need a facelift.
This is the original logo I pulled from the old website:
One of the main issues with the logo is that he did not have it in vector format. In fact, the ONLY version he had access to was this 207 pixel width .gif file. If you’re a designer, you know all the implications of this – mainly that you cannot increase the size of the logo AT ALL without affecting its quality (causing blurriness, pixelation, distortion, etc). So, a redesign was necessary so that he would have the ability to use this logo on any future marketing materials, ensuring high-resolution results.
After inspecting the old logo, I knew several elements would need to be incorporated in the new version:
- The Hands and Tree: These icons are used throughout his office (etched into the glass of the front doors; framed in his office; on various letterheads and business cards), so for branding consistency I knew they needed to be included — but “upgraded”
- Verbiage: Both “Family Medical Care” and “Keith Nichols MD, PLLC” were necessary to include in the new version. Although I needed to correct the distortion of the letters in the new version.
- Color: The green used in the tree has been the office’s defining color for years, so it needed to be included in any rebranding. But I also thought it could stand to be a little “richer” — either by deepening the hue, adding slight gradients, or both.
Overall, I felt like the individual elements needed to be more cohesive, as if they all belonged together. Keeping all the elements that I needed to include in mind, I decided to encompass all within a clean iconic circle, with tagline bar to have the name of the office stand out. Adding subtle gradients, light white outlines, and high-resolution artwork (all elements were recreated in Illustrator), I was happy with the end result!
And you can see the full website redesign result here: www.keithnicholsmd.com