Ascendium : Brand Development & Interactive Design

Ascendium Consulting is a leading provider of professional services that helps healthcare organizations improve and grow their businesses. Through solutions such as strategic planning, outreach growth, operational improvement, lean six sigma, information technology, facility design and interim laboratory and technology management, Ascendium Consulting is bringing positive change and tangible results to healthcare institutions around the world.

When the management team at Ascendium Consulting came to Kristian Andersen + Associates, they had just completed the successful acquisition of the company from healthcare giant Roche Diagnostics, where they existed as Roche Healthcare Solutions consulting services. The leadership at Ascendium recognized that they needed to develop a new brand that would leverage its legacy in the healthcare consulting space, while allowing the organization to develop its own identity, signify its reinvigorated vision, and aggressively pursue new markets.

Kristian Andersen + Associates worked with the team at Ascendium to explore potential brand name candidates. Once the list of candidate names had been sufficiently narrowed, the team at Kristian Andersen + Associates performed the necessary trademark and domain name vetting and provided the Ascendium team with a recommended set of potential names. Ultimately the name Ascendium was selected. Our design team immediately began exploring potential brand mark (logo) variations and honed in on a capital "A" symbol that visually evoked the sense of ascension – literally being at the top. This concept coalesced into a final mark that not only paid direct homage to the leading letter of its namesake, but tipped its hat towards an abstract representation of a snowcapped mountain.

Once the name and corporate identity was finalized, Kristian Andersen + Associates translated the identity system into a number of brand expressions, including: stationery systems, sales presentations, white paper and case study templates, and ultimately an interactive web presence.

Since the launch of the new Ascendium brand and associated brand expressions, Ascendium has continued to garner praise from clients and industry experts alike. Ascendium has successfully transitioned from a small division of a very large company to a nationally recognized, stand-alone brand in the healthcare consulting industry.