Over 25 years ago I began doing a lot of independent design work for the Multnomah County Medical Society. My client contact was then successful in tempting me with an offer to come in-house to create a design department for the organization. (She was one of the most incredible supervisors I've ever had.) My primary job was designing the Portland Physician magazine, the annual directory of members, and the tabloid size Portland Physician Scribe newspaper. Once in a while I got to be a bit more creative and design logos, publication promotional items, invitation, or projects for member doctors.
Tel-Med was a free medical help-line service of the organization, offering pre-recorded messages in answer to a wide variety of basic medical questions. The old logo consisted of an illustration of an antique-style phone next to the name. The phone image did not successfully convey the modern capabilities of the system and a new image was requested.
The new graphic identity for Tel-Med incorporated a stylized human form, as a medical professional, and the push buttons of modern phone equipment. The symbol was often used without text and still successfully conveyed the purpose of the service.
This re-design appears in the book Logos Redesigned: How 200 Companies Successfully Changed Their Image by David E. Carter.
(Note: My new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)
© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
