As a graphic designer, I’m faced with many tasks: Coming up with logo, getting flyers out, designing websites, creating illustrations, setting type, matching colours, and the list goes on and on. However, when I talk about what I do, I don’t list those elements — not at first, anyway. My priority is learning about my clients and getting to know how they and their businesses tick. I find out what motivates them, what motivates the people they aim to serve, and what makes the way they do business special. Before I can execute anything based on my design skills, I seek an understanding of the underlying philosophies that define a business and affect its people and audience.

Update: Gorham Animal Hospital was bought out by another veterinarian, so GorhamAnimal.ca is no longer a product of Pigmint, besides the logo, which was modified. Please click on the thumbnails in this article to view the Pigmint design.

About Rob and his Clinic

Gorham Animal Hospital was founded by Veterinarian and Entrepreneur, Rob Lindsay. Rob is a down-to-earth, compassionate person, who has always put all he can into caring for a pet, prioritizing it even before the needs of his business. He knows how to run a practice, earn his clients’ trust, and choose the right team of people to help make it all work.

A turning point 

The clinic has been running for decades, but it never had a consistent visual identity or a presence on the Internet. Since Rob wants his clinic to grow its success by reaching out to a larger audience, while maintaining and continuing to nurture relationships with the current client base, these are serious considerations.

Your business identity — inspired by your own identity

I took the time to get to know the business for everything Rob intended it to be — and everything that he saw it for. I created a brand inspired by that. Much of the inspiration was drawn from Rob and his care and passion for what he does. After sharing a few ideas with him and his staff, they united on my sketch of a dog curled up into the shape of a letter G — for Gorham.

Once the decision of the logo’s design direction was made, I could create the motifs and textures that would be applied to other elements: the business cards, office forms, envelopes, and clinic sign. There was now a personal, yet professional image and a visual language that the staff and clients alike could identify with the overall vibe at Gorham Animal Hospital.

Extending the experience to the web

How would I take this brand and make it something that presents well on the screen?I expanded on the colours and textures used in all of the physically produced materials, while still remaining true to the brand. I took elements from the experience at the clinic and made them part of the website: a file folder motif for the navigation, a clipboard that contains biographical information about the staff members, and paw prints pointing to the next and previous sets of photos.Veterinary clinics tend to have a playfulness that is heavily inspired by love and affection for pets, so some endearing illustrations for each category in the “Featured Patients” section were definitely in order.
Other design decisions were made simply because they matched the overall feel, such as the blue wood background and the wooden sign with the logo, hanging from the top of the page by two chains.

Translating Philosophy to Functionality

Relationships with clients and their pets have always been an important part of Gorham Animal Hospital’s philosophy. Rather than only being a source of information about the clinic, the website is also designed to nurture these relationships. It is something that the local pet-owning community could be a part of, and a way for the staff to communicate to their clients — both current clients and those considering a first visit.

Who, What, Where, When, and Hi!

You’ll see all the essential information (intro, location, hours, contact), plus an entire section dedicated to getting to know the staff, complete with headshots — especially helpful when you want to know in whom you’re trusting your pet’s care and health.  You’ll also be able to keep up with the staff on Twitter, read their contributions in Gorham’s own blog, and of course send a message directly to the clinic to book appointments or simply ask a question — all from one website.

Now Featuring Your Loveable Companion

There is an entire section devoted to featuring their patients; whether they’re success stories, fond memories, in need of a home, or new bundles of joy. Clients of Gorham Animal Hospital are welcome to send in photos and the background stories of their loveable companions and have those shared with their fellow pet owners.

Full circle ahead

In combination with staying true to the very philosophies that got Gorham Animal Hospital where it is today, Rob and his staff now have the communication tools they need to move their business forward and extend those values even in new ways to both people who have yet to discover them, and the clients who have been supporting them all along.

To create and develop a brand and apply it throughout various forms of media is quite gratifying to say the least. I’ve enjoyed working with Rob and his team. The developments have been exciting and rewarding. Hope you enjoy the website. Feel free to post your own comments below. :)

Check out Gorham Animal Hospital on the Brands page.