COVID-19 testing and vaccine startup Curative is rolling out a new brand identity to support its rapid national expansion and drive broader awareness of its vital offering. Developed with Landscape, a San Francisco-based brand strategy and design studio, the new brand aims to instil confidence and a sense of optimism, conveying an innovative health service offering with clarity.

Having celebrated its first anniversary earlier this year, and with 1.9 million vaccines delivered to date, Curative has grown from a lab science start-up to a health services company with more than 7,000 employees and a network of more than 13,000 testing and 500 vaccination sites across the U.S., administering 35,000 vaccines a week.

With such a fast growth trajectory, the new identity evolves the brand’s narrative to inspire trust and engagement with individuals and communities in both big cities and remote, rural areas, providing a foundation for sustained expansion.

“Scaling rapidly means communicating effectively for Curative. We needed to better convey what was unique about our organization and service, and why people should care, and above all, trust us,” says Fred Turner, CEO and co-founder of Curative. “The evolved brand is the outcome of those objectives. It signals our commitment to building a healthier tomorrow by making essential health services more equitably accessible.”

The flexible design system is based on the brand principles of universal accessibility, radical ambition, and collective power. Curative’s brand identity balances three key components – promote clarity around the offering, appeal to civic responsibility, and signal the urgency to take action.

The system spans digital assets as much as physical ones, such as kiosks, vans, and signage, and is designed to help regional operations teams implement the brand rapidly and consistently. Simple, geometric patterning supports a sense of optimism without feeling decorative or superfluous. The new symbol conveys the organization’s sense of direction, and a bold yet approachable color palette conveys optimistic energy and a level of trust and confidence.

“It was very important to make Curative’s new offering as accessible and actionable as possible by sending clear signals. Especially so when the existing care system was already complex to navigate, and ever-changing information during the pandemic created uncertainty for many, if not most, people,” said Adam Weiss, Creative Director of Landscape.

“As designers, we hope that through our work, more people can understand and take advantage of Curative’s tests, vaccinations, and guidance. The more people do so, the faster we all will be able to reconnect with the people, places, and activities that we’ve been missing during this time. Moreover, we hope the nation will be inspired by Curative’s team, their vision, and the essential services they’ve been able to deliver through their unwavering efforts. It’s an inspiring demonstration of not accepting the status quo and taking the initiative to reset our collective expectations for how inclusive and accessible health services can be.”

“The new brand positions our emerging service in a relatable and actionable way and helps us build awareness and trust, both with our partners, the health authorities and people wanting to stay safe, healthy, and informed,” adds Turner. “We found Landscape to be ideal partners in this process, bringing critical, strategic thinking, and exceptional craft to a collaboration centered on creativity, trust, and a shared sense of urgency.”