midmichigan
MIDLAND, MI
MidMichigan Medical Center was undergoing a major renovation, adding an entirely new patient bed tower that completely relocated the front entrance of the facility. As construction was nearing an end, patients and visitors were already showing signs of confusion, parking and entering in the wrong places. Once inside the multi-building, 180-acre campus, their navigation challenges continued.
Forcade was hired to eliminate this confusion by completely overhauling the existing signage and wayfinding. We took down nearly every exterior and interior sign and fully reprogrammed a new hospital signage and wayfinding system, totally transforming the experience for patients, visitors and staff at MidMichigan Medical Center.
A healthcare design project of this magnitude required proactive planning to ensure it was implemented both effectively and efficiently. We collaborated early and closely with the marketing team and C-suite, making sure all decision makers were always informed and continuously in agreement throughout the multi-year effort. We worked together as a cohesive team to test and develop all facets of the signage and wayfinding system, which helped to eliminate any surprises that could disrupt the deadlines or balloon the budget. Range of Magnitude pricing was also developed, allowing the team to review and readdress individual budget parameters at critical points throughout the project.
The new Community Health Network brand was simple, bright and positive. We translated that essence into the signage and wayfinding system by placing information over large expanses of white encapsulated in translucent frames. Small pops of color and interesting textural elements from the new logo provided the perfect amount of captivating interest without overpowering the purposeful simplicity of the brand. The signs were beautifully lit from within, spilling light through the translucent frames to represent rays of positivity throughout each of the properties. It was an elevated approach to healthcare design that entrenched the new brand in the physical environments across the entire network.
With the sheer scope of this project, we couldn’t solely focus on the design of the healthcare signage or the healthcare wayfinding. We also had to carefully consider how to manage multiple municipalities across the greater Indianapolis area. This required us to coordinate permits for all installed signage and even represent Community Health Network in front of governing bodies where variances were needed.
A COLLABORATION FOR BRAND UNIFICATION
Forcade’s deep experience in handling large, multi-location, multi-year projects helped Community Health Network easily and efficiently accomplish their extensive hospital rebrand initiative. It was a highly collaborative approach to healthcare design, unifying design, marketing, corporate and fabrication teams together to ensure the brand was successfully unified throughout the entire network.
