A single corporate identity for the NHS was introduced in 1999. This replaced the 600 or so logos within the NHS, all competing with each other for the public’s attention. This competition made it difficult for people to distinguish NHS services and communications from those of commercial companies or charities. The single NHS identity was created to address these issues of identity and to improve recognition and accountability.
There are guidelines for print, web and powerpoint presentations; colours and branding for each of the organisation types, from dentists to foundation hospitals. There are no guidelines for NHS Apps, even though we have had two apps competitions in the last few years (DotGovLabs and Maps and Apps).
In a blog post Colin Wren makes a start at specifying identity guidelines for NHS Apps. He asks whether “some research could be put into seeing how NHS service users find different ways of displaying buttons, tables and other UI elements on mobiles so that developers can ensure that their app will be well received and easy to use.”
What would you add to an App guideline?