Overview
Skagit Valley Hospital is the third largest public hospital in Washington State and has become one of the most advanced regional community hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. Located in Mount Vernon, Skagit Valley Hospital has served the surrounding community for over 50 years and has expanded in both service and square footage to keep pace with the needs of the communities it serves.
The hospital, built upon its foundation of community commitment, opened a Kidney Center, Wound Healing Institute, Cancer Care Center, and, most recently, the Skagit Regional Heart and Vascular Institute. Each of these new Service Lines brings much needed specialized care and state of the art technologies to the region. In 2007, a 220,000 square foot expansion opened adding private rooms for all patients, a new Emergency/Trauma unit, a Family Birth Center and expanded surgical suites, critical care, and orthopedic services.
The Challenge
As a community-based facility, one of the challenges Skagit Valley Hospital faced was creating a new identity that projected a medically savvy facility while maintaining the local feel. It was important to portray an evolution of health care as opposed to an abrupt change in service. We began working with Skagit Valley Hospital preceding the expansions noted above, when it was part of an affiliation with another hospital, serving under the umbrella: Affiliated Health Services. Each partner hospital operated under its own board of directors, with separate, sometimes differing visions for the future. Eventually, both organizations chose to end the affiliation, and continue separately.
We collaborated with a board-selected team from Skagit Valley Hospital and focused on three core goals for the new brand identity. The first objective was to differentiate Skagit Valley Hospital from Affiliated Health Services. The second, to display a progressive approach in healthcare. And finally, to project itself as a health institution and stand shoulder to shoulder with other successful hospitals - in and outside of Washington state.
The Solution
Throughout the process, one tenet remained obvious: Skagit Valley Hospital was rooted yet continued to grow, right alongside the communities it serves. As part of our engagement with Skagit Valley Hospital, we wrote the following description to help with the introduction of the new identity to the employees and public.
"The Skagit Valley Hospital logo is built around the strength of the poplar tree, with its extensive history and strong presence in the Skagit Valley. Its roots run long and deep, creating a firm hold while the trunk and limbs stand tall and protective. The poplar shields us year after year from storm, and offers shade during hot afternoons. It has the self-assurance to stand alone yet flourishes when lined up side by side with others."
With the graphic elements in place, the word mark was the next step. We approached this aspect of the identity with the goal of simple sophistication, and a look and feel of honesty and sincerity. The modified font holds a certain softness and the airy nature of letter space creates an approachable and welcoming presence.
Results
We created an identity that has become one of the region's most recognizable marks. The identity was so well received it was debossed in concrete 25 feet tall near the new main entrance of the hospital.
We continue a strong collaborative relationship with Skagit Valley Hospital in producing advertising campaigns, service line naming, messaging, integrated marketing campaigns and interactive online marketing tools. We have also been engaged to develop marks for the Hospital's specialized service lines including Family Birth Center, the Regional Cancer Care Center, and the Regional Heart and Vascular Institute.