Advancing Indigenous well-being and health leadership

with the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health

What we did

  • Naming
  • Branding
  • Video
  • Website
  • Naming
  • Branding
  • Video
  • Website
VISIT THEIR WEBSITE

What they needed

The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, formerly the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, supports public health interventions designed for and by Indigenous peoples. In partnership with staff, supporters, and community partners, we guided the Center in the realignment of their brand identity with current best cultural practices, especially around the language of Indigeneity.

About the logo

The JHCIH logo was rooted in concepts important to the many Indigenous communities they work with, including the drum, weaving, and nature motifs including the sun, leaves, and stars. The weaving at the center of the disc forms a plus sign, a widely recognized symbol for medicine and health, representing the blend between traditional medicine and western health sciences.

A colourful symmetrical icon pulled from the CIH logo

How we helped

We facilitated active listening sessions with the Center and their partners to understand their long term goals and what changes they needed to make in their brand to make the alignment truly authentic. Their input led us to refining a new name, the Center for Indigenous Health, that is more respectful, more inclusive, and reflects an expanded focus on Indigenous populations worldwide. The community involvement didn’t stop there: we took the logo concept to the Center’s over 300 team members for their feedback before proceeding—and received unanimous approval.

The Center for Indigenous Health's printed business cards.
The Center for Indigenous Health's printed brand guide booklet cover.
The Center for Indigenous Health's open printed brand guide booklet.

Making a difference

Along with the new name and logo, we provided JHCIH a full range of brand assets, including a brand standards guide to keep usage consistent across their many offices and programs. Taking an accessibility-first design approach, their new website features a knowledge sharing resource centre, so their health materials are always readily available to all of the people they serve.

The Center for Indigenous Health website on a laptop screen showing the home page
A yellow symmetrical icon pulled from the CIH logo
A red symmetrical icon pulled from the CIH logo
A blue symmetrical icon pulled from the CIH logo
A orange symmetrical icon pulled from the CIH logo
The Center for Indigenous Health website on a tablet screen
The Center for Indigenous Health website on a phone screen
“I’m really excited that we’re changing our name to the Center for Indigenous Health because it better reflects the diverse Indigenous scholars and communities across the world that we are honored to work with.”

– Victoria O’Keefe, Associate Director

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