The challenge

Helm is a pioneering health-tech product, created by Ripple Foundation and funded by local government, launched as a pilot in Leeds in 2017. Essentially it is an open-standard, open-platform based personal health record. For the first time ever, individuals have control over their own health and care records with the ability not only to view their data, but to add to it themselves via a secure online platform. For healthcare professionals this provides a truly holistic view of the subject's health. And while it's primarily designed as a platform for health and care data, the ambition was to extend the project to include personal data from a wider range of sources. With growing concern over data security among the public though, it became vital to develop a strong brand that would help build trust in the project.

Our approach

Helm is open source, so third party developers are able to build innovative new platforms and apps using the same technology and security standards, creating an interconnected ecosystem with individual control at its heart. The name Helm reflected this position of control. With all their data in one place, where it can be easily viewed and managed, users could control how data from healthcare providers is shared and with whom. The visual identity was inspired by this, using fluid shapes that are always moving and updating, but in a controlled and accessible way. We designed it using a colour palette that felt appropriate – high-tech, but approachable. As a brand that lives primarily online, great RGB reproduction of the brand colours, along with excellent accessibility were key factors.

The results

Under a name and visual identity created by ThreeTenSeven (formerly Thompson), the new platform has become a feature in the changing healthcare landscape, with new digital tools empowering people to manage their own health.

Getting the best name and identity for the service was important right from the start of the pilot period, making its benefits clear to care professionals and the public. Working with ThreeTenSeven gave us the tools we needed to build a strong brand for Helm that helped us connect with the people it could help most.

— Dylan Roberts, Chief Digital and Information Officer for the City of Leeds