The solution

The final brand is rooted in Sheffield Children’s lived environment and the experiences of the people who move through it every day. The Trust’s hospitals themselves became a primary source of inspiration: bright, welcoming spaces designed to feel positive and human, many created in collaboration with artist Morag Myerscough via Art Plus. Rather than introducing a new visual language, the identity draws directly from colours, motifs and shapes already present across wards, clinics and signage, bringing consistency and clarity to what people already recognise and trust. This approach ensures the brand feels owned and familiar, not imposed, while creating a unified look across a complex estate.

At the heart of the system is a flexible, pattern-led toolkit. A modular pattern library allows the identity to stretch across a wide tonal range, from playful and expressive communications for children and families, to confident, restrained applications for research, innovation and professional audiences. Alongside this, a refined colour palette built from core and secondary NHS colours introduces softer tints for everyday use, as well as dedicated combinations for neurodiverse audiences and more sensitive contexts such as bereavement services. Accessibility and inclusion are designed in from the outset, ensuring the brand can respond to different emotional, cognitive and sensory needs without fragmenting.

To address longstanding complexity, we developed a new strapline, Creating healthier futures, supported by a secondary badge that sits alongside the NHS organisational logo. The badge is a heart formed from tessellated triangles, symbolising care, hope and the strong strategic foundations behind Sheffield Children’s integrated model of care. The triangular geometry is echoed throughout the wider visual system, strengthening recognition and coherence. Crucially, this badge helps simplify brand hierarchy, reducing reliance on sub-brands and allowing services, sites and initiatives to sit clearly under one shared identity.

Illustration and photography were developed as core storytelling tools. A contemporary illustration style, supported by a library of people and Sheffield landscapes, allows the brand to flex in tone without becoming infantilising. Young people from the Sheffield Children’s Youth Forum co-created hand-drawn speech bubbles that represent communication, collaboration and the centrality of children’s voices. These are used to hold quotes, tell real stories and, when appropriate, form a set of expressive characters that bring warmth and personality to campaigns such as the Quality Promise. Photography guidance ensures authentic, dignified representation across hospital and community settings, prioritising real moments of care, connection and collaboration. Together, these elements create a confident, human and future-facing brand that reflects Sheffield Children’s role as a national leader in whole-child healthcare.