Located in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood, PolicyLab is a Center of Emphasis within Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Research Institute, one of the largest pediatric research institutes in the country. When CHOP released new brand guidelines, PolicyLab was required to follow suit. Untuck's challenge was to assess and shape these guidelines to develop a unique identity system for PolicyLab, that also stayed true to the parent brand.
To achieve this delicate balance, we focused on identifying opportunities to extend, mold, and fill out CHOP's identity in new and surprising ways that PolicyLab could call its own. Patterning, iconography, and illustration showed the most promise for expansion and interpretation. We started by aligning its four primary research areas with a spectrum of color extensions and used four basic shapes—square, circle, triangle, and hexagon—to build a base library of abstract patterns ranging from scientific (organized) to childlike (chaotic).
We revamped PolicyLab’s existing icon library to utilize the same dimensions, line weights, and illustration style for guaranteed reproduction and legibility across print and digital applications. This custom system allowed us to create a library of 100+ palettes, patterns, and icons that could be utilized within the PolicyLab website, across report briefs, and throughout research materials.
Children's Hospital provided some simple shapes and patterns in their parent brand guide so we took them quite a bit further to develop an entire patterning system for PolicyLab to mold and use, depending on the type of research.
We further developed a detailed illustration style to enhance infographics and communicate abstract concepts in spot instances. The style is based on the foundational shape elements of the icons to ensure a consistent feel within the identity.
We were looking for a design firm that was excited about our work, full of fresh ideas, and committed to helping us tell our stories. We needed a team that could solve problems—that is Untuck. The concepts they present are visually engaging, but more importantly, are aligned with our content and our mission. Untuck is a true partner.
— Lauren Walens, Senior Communications & Operations Manager, PolicyLab at CHOP
