Branding & Messaging

A lot can change in 160 years. Just ask The New York Academy of Medicine.

Revitalizing a Brand: The New York Academy of Medicine

The Challenge: Few organizations can claim as long and distinguished a history as The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). But, a lot can change in 160 years.  In that time, NYAM grew from a small professional society of New York doctors to a national organization with expansive programs, and their logo and tagline  — “Enhancing the health of the public since 1847” — no longer reflected who they were.

Our Approach: Fenton designed a branding process that responded to NYAMs’ commitment to inclusivity. From our surveys with staff, we identified key consensus points that drove our creative direction. Among them:  a desire to avoid the misperception that they were “stuck in an ivory tower.” And, a clear emphasis on improving health in cities. Fenton presented a number of different brand directions, including ones that departed significantly from the Hippocrates graphic that had defined their identity for more than a century. We also moved away from their original blue-green color palette to a warmer red that reflected the nonprofit’s commitment to the communities they serve. We complemented this with a more rounded and approachable font treatment.

Progress, Accelerated: In the end, the majority of NYAM’s staff realized they were more attached to Hippocrates than they had realized. After weighing the options, they selected a brand identity that reflected the pride they had in their storied history — but with a modern facelift. A new tagline, “At the heart of urban health since 1847,” refined their positioning and injected more passion into their brand.