Name:
Russell Heistuman

Company:
Whitestone Design Werks

Job title:
Creative Director/Owner

Duties:
Brand strategy, logo and identity design, environmental and wayfinding design, website design and online marketing

Practising since:
1998

Country:
United States

City:
Coeur d'Alene, ID

Web:
www.wdwerks.com

Email:
Russell

Selected client list:
Red Lion Hotels Corporation
Kootenai Medical Center
W Publishing
Coeur d'Alene Cellars
Tobin James Cellars

Success Story
Kootenai Medical Center

KMC had a tremendous amount of brand equity in the local Spokane/Coeur d'Alene market. Their logo was highly recognizable and had been originally designed by Duane Wiens of Matrix International Assoc. Ltd. out of Denver. However, while the mark was strong and clean, the type treatment (in Times Roman) had not aged as gracefully and had always been an issue with signage having to deal with a thin, serifed font. As they neared an expansion of the hospital and new signage, they decided it was a good time to rethink their identity.

Since the hospital had grown as a respected institution that provided a strong foundation for the enormous economic growth of the region, WDW decided that a type treatment that reflected their stature in the community would be the best solution. Helvetica Black was chosen for it's weight and pragmatic presence. It was also helpful in the changeover of countless forms and collateral that were done in-house. The solution preserved the brand equity by retaining the original mark but infused a new statement of strength and leadership that the institution had achieved.

The solution was launched in a new ad and billboard campaign that communicated the new identity in a vibrant, fresh dynamic, solidly positioning KMC as the respected, preferred health care provider in the region. And the type treatment change to a thick, sans-serif font, resulted in a tremendous savings in sign fabrication cost in addition to being a much more visible and striking design that reads extremely well both in daylight and backlit at night. The identity change has had the effect of giving this institution a new, more confidant voice in all of it's communication in its market.