Blue lozenge 25: Strategic Importance of Brand

We’re celebrating 25 years since the national roll-out of the NHS brand. Following an intelligent rebranding exercise in 1999 the NHS ‘blue lozenge’ has been synonymous with one NHS and a symbol of national pride.  

Branding is a vital part of any business or organisation. It goes way beyond the visual elements of a logo and typography and begins to tell a story in the minds of the public about the values and purpose of the organisation it represents. Investing in your brand is an investment in perception and trust. It is a mechanism to influence how your audience perceives your service or business – creating an emotional connection that resonates, builds trust, credibility and a sense of belonging in the hearts of the public and the workforce. 

This was well understood by the Labour government in 1999 when they introduced the Primary Care Group model in the NHS, and mandated the use of a unified corporate identity across the NHS. The single identity brought together 600 variations into one compelling corporate identity. 

Prior to this the government had no visual shorthand to refer to the publicly funded health service. They were not able to easily distinguish between publicly funded provision, the private or the charity sector.  

This caused a problem in the 1980s when the opposition Labour party used the Red Cross identity to represent the NHS, breaching the Geneva Convention. After 1999, governments had an incredibly easy way of referring to the health service. 

How taxpayer’s money should be used in the NHS is rightly scrutinised, however, at the time of the national rollout of the branding exercise the investment was mistakenly criticised. Like any well considered communication exercise, the investment was a cost saving not a cost pressure. The core design elements of the NHS blue lozenge already existed and as part of the national rollout these were formalised. By using one logo with clear guidelines there was not a requirement for further investment in brand development. Trusts were asked to replace existing artwork as part of natural refreshes of signage and information rather than replace assets immediately.

As part of the brand identity the simplicity of the blue lozenge was and still is a core strength. It is neutral, contains no political signifiers and is neither particularly progressive nor traditional in its design elements. The simplicity meant that it was straightforward for communication professionals in local organisations to implement. This helped the new identity gain support even though many organisations were being asked to replace beloved and historic logos, the logic was undeniable. 

Whilst recent results from the British Social Attitudes Survey from the King’s Fund suggests that public satisfaction in the NHS is at an all time low, the strategic importance of the NHS brand still stands today. The double edged sword of an effective brand is that public perception is often polarised. The service is considered either evangelically good or wholly inadequate. Neither are true. The NHS brand remains, as it was in 1999, representative of a tapestry of complex services, systems and cultures.  

The NHS brand is however a masterclass in how to forge identity and purpose and how to help a workforce of 1.4 million people and a population of around 56 million have a clear understanding of goals, strategic approach and direction. It is an example of the value of investing in professional strategic communication.  

We’ve asked some well known experts their views on the NHS brand and why think it’s endured and what the future will hold. Take a look. 

 

References:

[1] https://peopleshistorynhs.org/encyclopaedia/branding/

[2] Public Satisfaction With The NHS And Social Care In 2022 | The King’s Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)