Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Videos, Summary, Credits
The field of Parkinson’s organizations presents many challenges — competition for funding is high in an undifferentiated marketplace, as donors want to fund a cure even though a cure is many years away, while people living with Parkinson’s need support now. Competitors generally fall into two camps: those who are deep into research of longshots for a cure, and those who emphasize treatment and care – both of which have brands that speak in fluffy terminology like “hope” “optimism” and “strength.
Two organizations with separate missions — the National Parkinson Foundation, which has a long history of improving care for people with PD; and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, which is known for their strong scientific research working toward a cure — merged in an effort to combine forces to achieve a common goal: a world without Parkinson’s. This new entity needed to unite both organizations into a new brand, leveraging the long history of each while signaling a new approach. The new brand needed to speak to a broad Parkinson’s community that is engaged with the organization through their popular walks and local chapters (a valuable asset for the brand), as well as resonate with staff, patients, families, donors, and physicians, who all contributed to our research.
Our solution is built on the promise of “Real Progress. Together.” which is communicated publicly through the tagline “Better Lives. Together.” This underscores the demonstrable successes of the two legacy organizations in improving outcomes for people with Parkinson’s and emphasizes accountability to true, measurable progress that results from cooperation among the entire community. The new design highlights this sense of cooperation with custom imagery featuring a wide range of real individuals from throughout the Parkinson’s community—doctors, caregivers, donors, and people living with Parkinson’s — united by a single bright blue color that symbolizes their optimistic approach to fighting the disease. The logo is specifically designed to serve as a platform for community expression, offering an open space for individuals to handwrite their own messages to personalize materials.
The new brand was met with broad enthusiasm from board, staff, public, and people with Parkinson’s and their family and caregivers. The CEO loved the new brand and mission, saying they “capture the essence of our mission as leaders in the fight against Parkinson’s Disease.” The brand launched on October 18, 2017 and although it is too early to judge the full impact, many people have already begun personalizing the Foundation’s logo with their own messages and sharing them on social media, while encouraging friends and family to join the community.
Client: Parkinson’s Foundation – www.parkinson.org
VP, Communications, Project Lead: Leilani Pearl
Communications & Marketing Manager: Kristy Pomes
CEO: John L. Lehr
Brand Strategists/Designers: Ultravirgo – www.ultravirgo.com
Creative Director, Project Lead: Patrick Durgin-Bruce
Director of Strategy, Brand strategy and messaging: Seth Margolis
Designer: Luisa Velez
