Traditionally, in the most part, healthcare was viewed as a very conservative, slow paced field, with regards to the importance of a healthcare practice's logo design and corporate identity. But times are indeed changing. With more and more healthcare providers diversifying, clinics are offering a multitude of services for their patients. What used to be Dr. Smith practicing in Boise, Idaho is now, Boise Idaho Health Center. And today, more and more super-clinics, also known as Comprehensive Health Care Centers, need to attract patients, to cross-offer services for the well being of their patients. A super-clinic practice will offer everything from emergency healthcare, to specialists helping with throat and sinus problems. But the next trend, already grasping America by storm, is preventative healthcare. Everything from weight loss and diabetes counselling, to chiropractors teamed up with dentists and other day-to-day health concerns. A well designed logo will help a health center or a single medical practice, attract and attain patients for years to come.


Trust: A key aspect to Identity Design
Trust is an important factor in successful logo design for a healthcare practice. A visit to a dentist's office, whether it be the first visit-- or a repeat visit, requires a patient's sentiment of trust. Patients' trust in a facility is measured by everything from referrals, past visits and knowledge gained through the experience. Showing the notion of Trust within a logo is crucial to a successful logo design for a medical practice. There are many visual techniques used in the logo design that contribute to this issue. One of them is, after identifying the type of patients and area of the practice, appending the correct symbol and mostly, using the right color choice. A logo for a Pediatrician practice should not be confused with that of a Podiatrist. A pharmaceutical manufacturer or research firm has to represent the image of thoroughly researched medicine, and the trust of using their product is very important.

Identification of Patients and Users
It is important to identify the key users of your product, and/or who is your patient for your medical practice. A chiropractor's key patients are in three possible segments or age-groups, aging senior citizens, baby boomers, and possibly sports athletes. A chiropractor who specializes in diverse regions of the body (i.e. CTS) may choose to depict this specific branch or technique by using prominent, larger, and/or focused geometric shapes in the logo.  Keywords are the best way to help the designer choose what type of shapes to work with. Keywords are identifiable words that help describe the industry in general, and the clinic in specific. Examples of keywords or phrases are: healing art, natural care, safely, examination, preemptive care, non-intimidation, working techniques, education, specialization, community service, healing energy, experience, integrity, and appointments. These keywords all lead to ideas that will be conveyed in the shapes or design elements.

The Visit in your Patient's Mind: Dread and Duress
Dread and duress are also factors. The many worried, potential clients, contemplating a visit to a chiropractor or dentist, for example, should not be unintentionally intimidated by the logo. The logo may symbolize a secure treatment in a succession of ways, not cause one to think of a visit to a medieval dungeon, as some are prone to do. First, it may show the practice is safe and reliable. It may make the client feel that the industry has been around for hundreds of years, and is not so “ alternative “ as described, or dubbed (jn the case of alternative medicine, such as accupuncture or chiropractors). Secondly, it may portray the personal characteristics of the doctor and his/her staff.

Show Preventative Care
The idea of showing the clinic’s emphasis on preventative care may be crucial to the design of your logo. Using different symbols to design logos, the designer can show, in an abstract fashion, that the clinic will also take measures to educate patients about how to avoid problems in the future. Repeat visits and the need for regular check-ups may be implied in the logo. This clearly states that the chiropractor provides a solution to many negative experiences of our everyday lives.

Shapes and Sizes Count
Curves and straight lines also play a role in the end product of a logo. All aspects of the logo itself abstractly convey the meaning behind it, using geometric shapes. Curved lines are the best option to include within a logo for a chiropractor. Curves signify the clinic as a group of soft, caring, and support specialists. Circles represent precise care, at any “degree“. Squares are used to represent the window between your patients, your office, and/or the treatment. Triangles represent the teamwork that occurs within the clinic, as well as the connection of three points between the mind, body and soul.