CARDINAL HEALTH: An extraordinary act of renewal

New: Abstracted cardinal logo, and a far more unified visual system.

Launched: 'Previewed' in September 2002 via the annual report; launched to employees in November and to public in December and January 2003.

Story in brief:
It's remarkable, and very special, to see a founder CEO spearheading a redesign like this... rather than guarding his beloved birdhead. But Cardinal Health had made some forty acquisitions in the last ten years alone (including such equities as R.P. Scherer, Pyxis and Allegiance) - and wasn't getting credit for the scale and expertise they added. Bob Walter was frustrated. The new brandmark brings a stronger, more coherent companywide focus, plus a renewed sense of dynamic contemporary relevance. "Today, our worldwide brand is launched, uniting all employees under a single name - Cardinal Health." That's an act of leadership.
Bob Walter had founded Cardinal Distribution, a food wholesaler, in 1971; but it grew faster in drug and medical supplies distribution and in 1994 changed the name to Cardinal Health. Today the company has 50,000 employees in 22 countries and is "the largest provider of health care products and services in the world." But to reach the next level, and benefit from synergies, employees would need to learn to collaborate and to cross-sell.

Credits:
CEO - Robert D. Walter
Identity counsel & design - Enterprise IG

First Impressions:
It's brilliant design solution, modern and dynamic, expressively more like the cardinals I actually see (a flash of red) than was the old mark. As a bonus the "wings" symbol can be seen as a union of parts, coming together in common purpose. Brand-minder Anne Bouchenoire (VP Global Branding, an interesting title) tells me it has met with "amazing acceptance and energy," and won the support of managers seeking to "think, behave and act like one company."