New MD Anderson Logo Challenges Employees, Public to Aspire to a World Without Cancer
MD Anderson News Release May 04, 2010
Mark Visualizes Institution’s Making Cancer History® Tagline
M. D. Anderson News Release 05/04/10
For only the fourth time in its 69-year history, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has updated its logo, with a bold new look that symbolizes its mission: to eradicate cancer.
The logo integrates MD Anderson’s distinctive tagline, Making Cancer History, and the long-running cancer strike-through campaign, in which survivors tell their cancer stories and draw a red line through their cancer type to mark their triumph over the disease.
The intent of the mark is to make clear to all those who touch MD Anderson the commitment to this mission and the optimism of being on the cusp of major advances towards reaching it.
“We are proud that we’ve created tremendous momentum in cancer research and care. Every patient and research finding teaches us more about how we can eliminate cancer,” said John Mendelsohn, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “This logo tells who we are and signifies that our efforts have a steadfast focus on the ultimate goal: Making Cancer History.”
MD Anderson is steeped in traditions that provide patients with important milestones of hope during treatment and recovery, be it ringing a bell to signify the end of radiation therapy or collecting a bead of courage for each treatment completed.
“The red cancer strikethrough has proven to be one of the most powerful symbols of hope and inspiration to patients and their families and many have shared stories of how they dreamed of the day when they would star in an MD Anderson ad and strike out their disease with a red line for the world to see,” said Mendelsohn.
“As a volunteer and a patient at MD Anderson, when I see the new logo I know that this is the place for me,” said Nancy Loeffler, chair of MD Anderson’s Board of Visitors and a cancer survivor. “It inspires me to lend my support to an institution that sets the biggest of goals for itself, for my well-being, and also for all others who will be touched by this disease – whether they seek care at MD Anderson or not.”
Beyond the Master Brand
The updated logo is appearing in many venues, including on mdanderson.org, campus signs, institutional vehicles, print and online publications and in MD Anderson’s advertising campaigns.
It has been incorporated into the visual identities of all MD Anderson locations and relationships, including regional care centers and other collaborations in the United States and internationally. MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital and the Children’s Art Project also have new logos reflecting the strike through.
“Our dream is that five years from now when people anywhere see a red strike through cancer, they will immediately associate it with MD Anderson and ‘Making Cancer History’,” said Mendelsohn. “We want to be the first choice for patients and their families, for talented faculty and staff, for donors and volunteers whose support is essential and for students and trainees aspiring to be future leaders. With this new mark, we’ve told the world where we stand in the effort to end cancer so that they can come and stand with us.”
The logo was created for MD Anderson by The Richards Group of Dallas, which has been its advertising agency since 1996.
