athenahealth is a healthcare technology company that provides cloud-based practice management, electronic health record (EHR), and patient engagement services to medical groups and health systems. The company was founded in 1997 by Jonathan Bush and Todd Park, originally as a women’s health practice in San Diego before rebranding as athenahealth and expanding nationally. Its visual identity pairs a lowercase wordmark with a leaf-shaped brand symbol, and the current system is documented in the company’s official brand guidelines.
Design and History
The athenahealth logo is a lockup of the brand symbol and the lowercase “athenahealth” wordmark. The wordmark is never used on its own, and the brand symbol is reserved for small-scale applications such as social media profile images, app icons, and favicons. The full-color purple version is the primary logo, with white, all-white, and all-purple alternates available depending on background contrast. The greens in the logo are reserved exclusively for the logo and are not used elsewhere without brand team involvement. The logo’s clearspace is defined by the height of the “h” in “health,” and the minimum size is 12px or 0.15 inches high. [1]
The brand symbol is described in official guidelines as a leaf, and when aligning text or objects to the logo, the left edge of the leaf is used as the alignment reference. [1] The current identity system also includes a “curing complexity” lockup, which combines the primary logo with the tagline “Curing Complexity.” This lockup is preferred for in-market materials and campaign creative, while the primary logo is used for longer-shelf-life applications such as service descriptions and internal compliance documents. [1]
The identity has undergone at least one documented refresh. Design firm Tank worked with athenahealth on a rebrand that included the creation of a new logo featuring an updated olive branch symbol, described by Tank as symbolizing growth, peace, and harmony, and representing athenahealth’s commitment to improving healthcare outcomes. [2] A separate refresh, credited to designer Mary Jo Mitchell in partnership with exUrban Inc., also revolved around an updated olive branch from past branding, with cleaner looks throughout, and included a logo and color palette refresh. [3]
In 2021, Boston-based creative agency Colossus refreshed the athenahealth brand identity, evolving the global identity system and developing an integrated advertising campaign. The agency described the new design system as embracing color, intelligent visual metaphors, and human tonality, and noted that the work was intended to avoid the conventions and “sea of sameness” common in the healthcare category. [4] [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The olive branch symbol in the athenahealth logo has documented meaning from the design firm that created it. Tank described the updated olive branch as symbolizing growth, peace, and harmony, and representing athenahealth’s commitment to improving healthcare outcomes. [2] The official brand guidelines refer to the symbol as a leaf and use it as a spatial reference point for logo alignment, though they do not assign additional symbolic meaning. [1]
The company’s name itself references Athena, the Greek goddess associated with wisdom and strength. athenahealth was founded as a women’s health practice called Athena Women’s Health, and the name was retained when the company rebranded and expanded beyond women’s health. [6]
Typography and Design
The athenahealth brand guidelines document a typographic system that uses two typefaces: Source Sans 3 as the primary typeface and PT Serif for subheadings and numerical callouts. Source Sans 3 is used in Bold, Regular, and SemiBold weights across the hierarchy, while PT Serif Regular is reserved for smaller headline applications. [7] The official guidelines note that internal logos and wordmarks also use Source Sans 3 as the typeface. [8]
The brand’s color system is documented in detail in the official guidelines. Hero Purple (Hex #4E2D82, PMS 2091 C) is the primary brand color, described as distinct and the first thing associated with athenahealth. The primary palette also includes Cream, Honey, White, and Midnight, while the secondary palette consists of Forge Blue, Lite Purple, Orchid, Peacock, and Lime Green. [9] The iconography system features guiding icons with curved edges that tie back into the athenahealth logo curvature and brand holding shape. [10]
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