Fishburn Hedges raises diabetes initiative profile

Fishburn Hedges has developed the identity for a UK-wide campaign to raise awareness among up to one million people who may have diabetes without knowing it.

The consultancy has renamed and rebranded the British Diabetic Association as Diabetes UK to coincide with the awareness campaign, after conducting a research programme. A new identity, featuring a hummingbird to denote “control, balance, precision, elegance, strength, direction and uniqueness”, has been introduced.

Diabetes UK publishing manager Clare Lemon says the identity, “Reflects the energy and drive with which Diabetes UK is promoting the needs of people with diabetes, and the desire of our members for a fresh image.” The current awareness campaign, The Missing Million, marks the first public use of the new identity.

Fishburn Hedges senior designer Sally Robson says, “Research revealed that it was time for a name change as well as a corporate identity change, to heighten public awareness and give greater emphasis to the condition of diabetes. The symbol itself will have a key role in fundraising, so an equal visual balance between the name and symbol was needed.”

Legibility was a key factor in the campaign, as diabetes can damage eyesight. Typefaces used in the campaign were chosen to conform with guidelines published by the Royal National Institute for the Blind.