Rebranding the Adams County Health Department was one of the first major projects of our continuing partnership with Adams County. The Health Department needed a new brand and website to raise the recognition, awareness, and accessibility of its services. Because of the department’s expansive size and reach, the branding process also required a full brand system for all its many divisions and programs.
A county’s health department represents a vital resource to residents, and Adams County Health Department believes that the successful pursuit of public health necessitates a deep understanding of the community it serves. Therefore, we started our process with a full-day discovery session with over a dozen representatives from the department to gather as much input as possible. The discovery session was interactive and full of exercises, garnering great insights that sparked inspiration that carried throughout the project when defining their identity.
The new narrative identity faced a difficult task — it had to capture the care and devotion of the health department’s empathy-driven employees while also lending itself to clear communication about what the department offers and how residents could access those services. An emotional brand story and messaging points were intertwined with more direct Key Differentiators and Core Values that described the benefits they provided.
After establishing the narrative identity, we needed to develop a logo. However, due to county regulations, we couldn’t deviate from the existing one. Our new goal became to build a brand system that fit around their current logo.
The color palette is built from triptychs of several colors, with a Base Blue which is used in the Adams County Health Department logo. Each triptych is comprised of a dark value, a core value, and a light value to provide flexibility and contrast within the palette.
The land element (taken from the Adams County logo) used in the background of the logo system was isolated as a pattern to create additional visual interest or “ground” the design of each division and program logo.
After weeks of development and some great collaboration with our partners at the Adams County Health Department, the new narrative identity, visual identity, and brand system were in place! We then created a detailed 30-page brand guide laying out all the guidelines and usage rules to make the adoption of the new identity seamless for all team members.
An Emphasis on Accessibility
The new Adams County Health Department website was always intended as a resource for the community it serves. From the very first planning meeting, accessibility was at the forefront of all design and UX decisions we made. Throughout the process, we ensured we stayed away from internal municipal jargon often found on similar sites. We also developed the site with a close eye on intuitive navigation and site structure, as well as scannable and visually-led page designs. Thanks to these efforts, the new site meets WCAG 2.1 AA Standards.
Built as a branded child site of the main Adams County site, the new Health Department website strikes a balance between connection and independence. The site meets strict ADA compliance standards and scored a 95% mobile performance rating at launch. The result is a digital experience that’s not only functional and inclusive but also a clear extension of the county’s identity.
The new brand system and messaging are making it easier for the health department to communicate effectively with residents, informing them of the services they provide and building trust that will help continue to foster success and a healthier community for years to come. The redesigned website extends this work online as an accessible resource with intuitive navigation and ADA-compliant design to ensure every resident can easily reach the information and services they need.
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