Amanda Cilek's profile

Doctors Without Borders rebranding

Doctors Without Borders rebranding

This was a branding redesign exercise for a design workshop class. My goal was to address perception problems with MSF's existing identity. Information about the state of MSF's perception problem was found in MSF's recent report, In the Eyes of Others: How People in Crises Perceive Humanitarian Aid. The report states that many people have a difficult time recognizing the connection between MSF's name in its various translations and the acronym MSF. It also said that the MSF logo is not always known or understood. For instance, in Kenya, people tended to see the logo as a man holding a spear. 

My logo design focuses on communicating the core beliefs of MSF: Independence, neutrality, and impartiality. A reference to the red cross made sense, as the red cross is the most universally recognized symbol for healthcare and aid, but I didn't want it to be so referential that it would be confused with the Red Cross organization. I also wanted to somehow illustrate the idea of interconnectedness and crossing borders. The final logo design retains a cross in the negative space at the center but the emphasis is on the four heart shapes with linked arms that connect everything together. 

I also created a series of poster illustrations which could hopefully be used to demonstrate MSF's mission without words to a diverse and international audience.
MSF's current existing logo
Logo brainstorming
The final logo
Logo mock-up. South Sudan, original photo © Corentin Fohlen.
Logo mock-up. DRC, original photo DRC 2013 © Tristan Pfund/MSF.
Poster series
Doctors Without Borders rebranding
Published:

Doctors Without Borders rebranding

A branding redesign exercise for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

Published:

Creative Fields