AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

| MEDICAL/HEALTHCARE

Celebrating 175 years of medical history

In partnership with:

When The American Medical Association was coming up on their 175th anniversary, they knew they had a lot to celebrate. But they also knew that a lot can be learned from the past, and not every decision made over their 175-year history was the right one. They wanted to partner with diverse agencies that could help tell all sides of their story – from the life-saving recommendations they’ve made, to the doctors they’ve supported, to the missteps they may have made. We were proud to help share such an honest story, and to showcase the tremendous impact the AMA has made on medicine and public health.

CLIENT

American Medical Association

INDUSTRY

Medical/Healthcare

SERVICES

Research and stakeholder interviews
Brand blueprint + narrative
Brand workshop
Identity
Design systems
Social media
Environmental graphics
Signage + wayfinding
PR

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

Taking lessons from the past to solve the challenges of today

While the purpose of this campaign was to celebrate 175 years of history, it became clear that this was really a celebration of progress. As the campaign took shape, we focused on the idea that the most important moment in medical history is now. The AMA has always made it their mission to solve the most pressing medical challenges of the day, and they have learned from the moments when they may have had an opportunity to do more. The campaign became a powerful celebration of all of these moments.

CAMPAIGN CREATIVE

Showing history through a modern lens

To design a campaign that felt both old and new, we pushed the AMA’s master brand to a place that was able to accept historical photos alongside contemporary ones. We used duotones to carry the weight of this textural “backdrop” of history and married that with a sharper use of typography and candid photos of doctors and members.

IDENTITY

Designing a logo to live alongside their brand mark

The anniversary celebration deserved a logo of its own that carried weight, but it was important not to detract from the AMA’s main mark. After many options and iterations, we landed on two versions of a logo that match the existing AMA mark with custom numeric typography – a perfectly balanced way to showcase the brand and the campaign.

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS

Putting important moments in medicine on display

To showcase the many significant moments in the AMA’s history, we created a timeline graphic that was installed in the American Medical Association’s Chicago office. Not only was this large-scale installation a powerful way to display pivotal moments, it was an interactive way to educate, engage and excite employees – creating a connection between the history of the organization and the mission of its employees today.

WAY FINDING

Welcoming employees back to the AMA office

AMA employees had been working remotely over the course of the pandemic, and they were coming back to the office in waves right before the 175th anniversary. To welcome employees back to the office, introduce them to the anniversary celebration, and encourage them to explore the many spaces the office has to offer, we created wayfinding graphics of all kinds – pull up banners, glass clings, elevator graphics, step and repeats, and more.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Standing out on social media

The AMA has a very active social presence, so it was important that social posts we created for the 175th celebration could stand out. To do this, we designed a fact-based countdown to the anniversary, using significant moments in history to count down from 5 days out. The countdown was an effective way to showcase AMA’s accomplishments while creating interest in the anniversary itself.

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