Penn Medicine Logo Design

Role: Graphic Designer

Abstract

I designed a logo for the Patient Experience Volunteer Program at Penn Medicine, alternatively known as Pennsylvania Hospital. My task was to accurately and elegantly represent the values of the program, as well as the larger medical establishment in a single graphic. The project lasted two months, during which time I designed three logo options, eventually iterating on a final design.

See the process in more detail below.

Consultation

In order to design a logo that best represented the organization, I spoke with Cassandra Cuesta, head of the volunteer program. She detailed the value system, hospital standards, and project guidelines under which I would be designing.

Hospital Standards

  • Accountability
  • Presence
  • Compassion
  • Cultural Humility

Core Program Values

  • Community
  • History
  • Empowerment

Guidelines

  • The 3 divergent logos should be 3 different shapes
  • Use the Penn Hospital color palette (as detailed below)
  • Include Benjamin Franklin skeleton key

Penn Hospital Colors

#0A4E8D
#42205D
#E74E3E
#B41F3D
#83B1D3

Research + Synthesis

My conversation with Cassandra alongside additional research on the history of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Hospital aided in aligning and directing my design thinking.

Community

  • The volunteer program consists of members that span multiple generations, socioeconomic lines, and religious beliefs

History

  • Penn Medicine, founded by Benjamin Franklin, is the Nation’s first hospital
  • The skeleton key is of significance as a thematic element
  • The hospital is deeply engrained in the culture of Philadelphia

Empowerment

  • Logo design should mirror and represent the “coming together” of all volunteers and community members.

Ideation: 3 Divergent Logos

Logo #1: Focus is on the skeleton key, including all five colors. The design is simple, drawing attention inward: all eyes come together to a central image, with the key representing the history of the hospital.

Logo #2: Hands holding to represent the coming together of people, with a focus on diversity, reflective of Philadelphia as a city as well as the volunteer organization. The skeleton key is featured in the background illustration of the hospital. The thematic colors border the triangle.
Logo #3: Figures of multiple colors and sizes represent the diversity of the volunteer community and make use of the guiding color palette. The skeleton key is a centered focal point, held by the figures, representing a history upheld by the Philadelphia community who continue to live and work there

Iteration + Revision

Iteration 2

After the first round of designs, goldenrod (#FF9934) was added to the guiding color palette.
*Iteration 2: 3 Logo Designs including goldenrod in the color palette

Iteration 3

The team decided to move forward with logo #2, but asked for two other shapes (a square and circle) and had me change the purple border to Penn Hospital Blue.
*Iteration 3: Logo #2 as a square and circle with Penn Navy (#0E2944) Border

Iteration 4

We finally landed on logo #2, as a circle, with no other colors except the Penn blue border, and added the final text.