Jessica and Kai began the brainstorming session by sketching symbols and ideas that were expressed in the briefing with the client, Sue from WDHB (Waitematā District Health Board). Themes of empowerment, support, collaboration and a human-centered vision was kept in mind throughout the process. It was important to encapsulate not only what FPMRS stood for but how they are perceived by the clients through the logo identity they were creating.
Their challenges throughout the project, as Jessica said, were coming up with different directions and approaches to a brief that aligns with the service and the patients. Being in a collaborative space and getting feedback not only from designers but healthcare professionals.
For Jess, the most challenging part of the project was to come up with different directions to approach the brand that has more in-depth symbolism and creates a better storytelling brand through the design. Jessica’s approached the project through a feminine and minimal illustration style that resonated with the women using and aligned with FPMRS objectives. The idea is to avoid all the unnecessary extras and focus on the core design symbols of the female body and the butterfly. Jess chose to use a design approach based on minimalism to utilise existing elements, maximise simplicity and capitalise on space.
For Kai, a challenge throughout the process was designing around a brief that was a sensitive topic that held a lot of significance and history. In reference to the Surgical MESH history for FPMRS. Through the briefing with Sue, becoming empathetic with the patients and the vision of FPMRS and constantly, wanting to create a logo identity that would bring together the genuine vision of the organization and the patients. Kai’s approach was to bring a human and organic visual style of the logo design to encapsulate their human-centered vision and mission of FPMRS, through the textures and the logo style, in how they approach their clients through the logo identity. Using symbols and metaphors that came back to the patient’s narrative in connection to the organisation.
The first round of feedback with their first concepts going through Sue and the healthcare professionals highlighted the significance of the logo design and how each decision in the logo design brought implications and different interpretations as being design students they were mostly used to having feedback from other creatives and designers. It was significant to be able to have feedback throughout the process with the healthcare professionals and apply them to the concepts.
The team developed more ideas and concepts having in mind the prior feedback. Learning how to take feedback and use it in application to strengthen and extend the conceptual process to create a design that truly resonated with the client and it’s audience.
In the end, Jess and Kai said working as a collaborative team had developed their collaboration skills but also their technical skills, enriching each other by feeding each other’s ideas by constantly giving each other feedback.
This project is a proposal of options for a visual identity for the service that is currently undergoing feedback and consultation with the healthcare professionals and consumers involved in the service.
Here's what Jess and Kai had to say about their experience:
Jess — "Interning at Good Health Design has been a unique and enriching experience for me, and the knowledge and skills I gained during this period will certainly help me in the future. I would like to express my separate thanks to Cassie for her guidance and encouragement with my internship, and to my partner Kai for the invaluable help and support that has helped me to learn so much and develop my professional skills."
Kai — "My internship at Good Health Design has been a significant point of my design journey in identifying through action, my role as a designer to empower and to connect with communities through design. I was glad to have been trusted and given a project that aligns with my own personal design passions, to be able to design to empower women and to communicate the sense of love and trust through the FPMRS logo identity project.
Working through lockdown and having to adjust to a new work method brought it’s challenges but having Cassie as a mentor throughout the process to carry on made adapting through unprecedented times as a designer all the while engaging and exciting. She was empathetic and generous with feedback with the team of Jessica and myself. Working alongside Jessica made a supporting and exciting collaborative work dynamic, bouncing off ideas from each other to uplift our work. My time at GHD has been an engaging and eye opening experience that I will carry with me through the rest of my creative career."
