Colour and light: UnitedUs revitalises Spectrum.Life’s image with a full-spectrum identity system — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design
In the ever-evolving world of health technology, Spectrum.Life stands out with its mission “to change and save as many lives as possible.” A pioneering digital platform focused on mental health and well-being, the Irish healthtech company provides counselling, wellness programs and educational resources – all aimed at helping people lead healthier, happier lives through accessible and personalised care. Requiring a brand identity that not only encapsulated its essence but also propelled its international ambitions, they reached out to UnitedUs, a strategic brand and design agency based in Brighton, UK.
With rapid growth and a culture of transformation, Spectrum.Life’s new brand had to build a reputation, support international growth and improve talent attraction and retention through clear employee value propositions. “The visual approach was one of modernising, clarifying and systemising,” explains Design Director Carl Rylatt, noting that the previous identity lacked a unifying thematic thread and a consistent approach to guide its future growth and market expansions. With this in mind, the reimagined identity addresses the shortcomings of the previous, while – on a practical level – fitting seamlessly across all necessary touchpoints.
At the heart of this transformation is the ‘spectrum device,’ a visual representation that captures the essence of the company’s services. Originally inspired by the metaphor of a protective aura, the device evolved into a simpler, more elegant representation of the spectrum of visible light.
According to Rylatt, this also offered the necessary depth and framework to convey the message ‘full spectrum care, for a full spectrum life.’ “By utilising the spectrum of visible light, we distilled it into individual spectrums, each representing a different service line. Collectively, these individual spectrums form a comprehensive range of services, embodying the complete spectrum of care and light.” Once this concept was established, the colour palette – using the well-known colours within the spectrum of light – fell naturally into place – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. “We selected shades of these colours that would allow our black colour to meet AA minimum compliance across all combinations,” says Rylatt. “This method provides a simple and consistent approach for the client to implement the brand, avoiding the complexity of multiple approved colour combinations.”
Adding a unique layer of meaning to the visual identity is the innovative use of ‘noisy gradients.’ This concept was inspired by the marbled page in Laurence Sterne’s ‘The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.’ “Scholars have puzzled over its significance for centuries,” says Rylatt, “but I interpret it as representing the uniqueness of an individual life, filled with diverse influences, experiences, joys and sorrows that combine to create beauty.” When applied to the project, the metaphor aligns perfectly with Spectrum.Life’s mission of providing comprehensive care across the entirety of life’s experiences.
One of the standout features of the new identity is the redesigned wordmark. UnitedUs chose and modified the Raptor V3 typeface from Superior Type, enhancing it with a custom-crafted ‘M’ character that echoes the spectrum shapes. Explaining the decision, Rylatt notes that the typeface was chosen for its “readability and bold flavour” but also for its unique personality that elevates it beyond many other geometric sans typefaces available.
As such, UnitedUs employed a combination of Raptor and Gestura typefaces across different media, bringing a balance of approachability and professionalism to the identity. “There are two tiers of secondary typefaces, we picked Gestura for editorial/advertorial/printed use as it brings a layer of sophistication to the identity. While Raptor speaks of approachability and character, Gestura speaks of professionalism and scientific rigour.” Digitally, UnitedUs opted for DM Sans due to its exceptional accessibility and practicality. This typeface choice is also being implemented in the new app platform currently under development. “Whilst it was important to us to truly modernise Spectrum.Life, we also felt it was essential to retain a degree of human approachability in the word mark and typography,” Rylatt concludes.