Meridian Healthcare

A new brand for the mental health and substance use resource center that transforms communities from the inside out.

What we did
  • Discovery
  • Verbal Identity
  • Visual Identity
  • Website

Based in sunny Gainesville, Fla., Meridian Healthcare is a beacon of light for individuals and families grappling with mental illness and substance use. Over 50 years ago, Meridian was founded to provide communities in North Central Florida with compassionate behavioral healthcare. 

Over the years, Meridian has grown to over a dozen locations and expanded their specialized care to ensure anyone has access to treatment regardless of age, race, gender, income, or zip code. 

Now, they were in search of a new brand identity that captures the innovative and intentional way they care for — and build up — their community.

The Meaning Behind The Messaging 

Throughout our stakeholder interviews and messaging workshop, three common themes kept surfacing: heart, life, and community. Meridian’s staff members have an incredible heart for patients and their families. And they seek to provide personalized care that empowers one life at a time. By supporting each individual’s journey, Meridian is building and restoring communities throughout North Central Florida. These three themes — heart, life, and community resonated with Meridian’s team and inspired the language we used to establish everything from their voice to their values. 

Weaving It All Together

Once we crafted caring messaging, we sought to design a brand that wove together the throughlines of heart, life, and community. We knew the brand needed to resonate with the North Central Florida community as well as healthcare professionals and prospective hires.

Heartfelt Visuals

Our logo mark combines three symbols or icons. A heart represents the Meridian staff’s compassion and how they’re the heartbeat of the community. The symbol for life connotes how Meridian helps restore lives while the concentric circles represent the overlapping communities and the continuous care Meridian provides. Together, these symbols form a timeless beacon of hope and breathe new life into this 50-year-old healthcare organization.

The logo mark inspired a pattern that we call the ‘Heartstrings Of Our Community’. They symbolize the interconnectedness of life, heart, and community. We used these patterns to further bring the visual brand to life in campaign concepts. 

We chose a welcoming color palette and typography that convey warmth and trust. And we used gradients inspired by the secondary colors to serve as visual moments of transformation. Italicizing key words was a way to gently emphasize aspects of the “Meridian way”.