Provincial icon selects Arcas to create new brand identity

In the summer of 2009, Arcas Advertising was selected to create the new logo and brand identity for Group Medical Services – one of Canada’s leading brands for health and travel insurance.

The GMS brand identity makeover objectives included:

• communicating a 60-year historical legacy of insurance industry excellence
• a logo applicable for today’s technological mediums (internet, mobile, etc)
• acronym application of the full brand name (that had outgrown the company’s original offering)
• upgrade of typographical & colour palettes to help position the brand as more contemporary

The Arcas team simplified the acronym of GMS to a stylized font treatment – that included the use of a lowercase ‘m’ and two vertical space bars to help create a more distinct, and thusly, more memorable mark. The logo design’s unique approach also helps to communicate the innovative values and professionalism of the brand. As well, the design worked to maintain clear identification traits when the logo was to be used in black & white or reversed-to-white applications.

A legacy carryover of the brand’s original black and blue colour palette was manadatory – to help assist the visual transition for longtime customers, staff and publics. The key introduction of green as a third colour helps signify current innovations in the brand’s ongoing growth & evolution.

The project overall included a new logo design, a visual identity standards manual, a corporate video and other aspects of GMS marketing materials – including brochures, signage, wearables, stationery, etc.