EPPICC
Client
For over thirty years, Penta has been a global, independent, scientific network dedicated to child health. Today, Penta is one of the most prominent scientific organisations dedicated to paediatric research.
Brief
Penta coordinates an international network of studies called EPPICC (European Pregnancy & Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration) which conducts epidemiological research on HIV-infected pregnant women and children. EPPICC needed a brand that was recognisably linked to Penta, its parent brand, whilst also distinguishable as its own entity.
From the beginning of the design process it was important to involve the young people that EPPICC helps. Creative workshops with the young people were run to generate design ideas that could play a part in building inspiration for the EPPICC branding.
The brand needed to be budget friendly whilst also have the versatility to reach across five different languages; English, Spanish, French, Russian and Thai.
Solution
It became instantly clear that the young people’s input would be the heart and soul of the project - The challenge was to decipher how the young people’s ideas could be channeled and utilised to shape the design. The key was to see past the surface aesthetic of the young people’s sketches and embrace and implement the core concepts.
The 'Bloom' logo mark took form by combining the different ideas that the young people provided. It was important not to force these ideas together so to avoid a messy or clunky outcome. Careful integration created a bold, uncomplicated and energetic icon.
The colour system was also directly informed by the young people’s input. Their idea of a vibrant, multi-colour palette was polished for practical use and merged carefully with the DNA of Penta’s own orange, yellow and green. What emerged was a fun, carefree and varied colour system that expanded upon the parent brand.
When it came to EPPICC’s illustration; energy, diversity and fun came to the forefront of the thought process in order to build a simple, versatile illustration style that drew aesthetically from both the smooth, rounded structure of the “Bloom” logo mark, and the youthful doodle styling of the young people’s original designs.
To achieve a balance between budget friendly and efficiency of language versatility, the type system needed to be open-source, use as few fonts as possible, cover all required alphabets and of course, look good. Whilst options were limited, ultimately the answer came in matching two open-source fonts; one supporting Latin and Cyrillic, and the other; Thai. Given the limitations of the brief, the final type system proved effective, uncomplicated and visually consistent.
The 'Bloom' logo mark took form by combining the different ideas that the young people provided. It was important not to force these ideas together so to avoid a messy or clunky outcome. Careful integration created a bold, uncomplicated and energetic icon.
The colour system was also directly informed by the young people’s input. Their idea of a vibrant, multi-colour palette was polished for practical use and merged carefully with the DNA of Penta’s own orange, yellow and green. What emerged was a fun, carefree and varied colour system that expanded upon the parent brand.
When it came to EPPICC’s illustration; energy, diversity and fun came to the forefront of the thought process in order to build a simple, versatile illustration style that drew aesthetically from both the smooth, rounded structure of the “Bloom” logo mark, and the youthful doodle styling of the young people’s original designs.
To achieve a balance between budget friendly and efficiency of language versatility, the type system needed to be open-source, use as few fonts as possible, cover all required alphabets and of course, look good. Whilst options were limited, ultimately the answer came in matching two open-source fonts; one supporting Latin and Cyrillic, and the other; Thai. Given the limitations of the brief, the final type system proved effective, uncomplicated and visually consistent.
Including the young people’s input was essential, it was the heart and soul of the project.
the 'Bloom' logo mark was constructed by combining the many different ideas that the young people provided.
A fun, carefree and varied colour system that expanded upon, but still linked directly with the parent brand.
Given the limitations of the brief, the final type system proved effective, uncomplicated and visually consistent.
Result
The result was an energetic and engaging brand design that had deep roots in the community it helped, with clear DNA from the parent brand. A simple, bold and memorable logo system, a versatile and vivid colour system, a fun and diverse illustration style, a functional, efficient and cost effective type system, and a clear branding guide to help shape future EPPICC assets that will educate and support more people affected by HIV in the future.
