Fruit Lab

Children of Bellevue

Refreshing a legacy foundation with care and restraint to strengthen emotional connection while preserving institutional trust.

Brand Clarity, Creative Direction, Visual Identity, Community-Facing Touchpoints

The Challenge

Children of Bellevue has supported pediatric care for underserved NYC communities since 1949. While deeply respected, the organization faced a "Perception Gap": its institutional look felt increasingly disconnected from a younger generation of donors and supporters. The challenge was to modernize the brand experience to feel hopeful and human without alienating the stakeholders who valued its decades of history and credibility.

Experience Goals

Preserve Legacy: Maintain the trust and authority of a 75-year-old institution.
Cultivate Emotional Resonance: Move the experience from "institutional" to "human."
Bridging the Generation Gap: Create a welcoming entry point for a new era of supporters.
Systemic Consistency: Ensure every touchpoint reflects a single, cohesive mission.

Preserve Legacy: Maintain the trust and authority of a 75-year-old institution.

Cultivate Emotional Resonance: Move the experience from "institutional" to "human."

Bridging the Generation Gap: Create a welcoming entry point for a new era of supporters.

Systemic Consistency: Ensure every touchpoint reflects a single, cohesive mission.

Approach

This project required a "restrained intervention." We began by auditing the emotional signals that define trust and care within the healthcare space. Our Systemic Problem Solving approach focused on how the brand functions as a living link between the hospital and the city. We moved away from trendy design in favor of a timeless, hope-led framework that honors the past while clearing a path for the future.

Key Experience Decisions

Anchoring the Experience in "Hope and Care"

The guiding principle, “To Bring the Light,” served as the psychological anchor for the brand. This concept informed every choice of color, tone, and imagery, ensuring the brand felt optimistic and compassionate rather than clinical or sentimental.

Designing for Stability, Not Novelty

To protect the organization’s credibility, we prioritized balance and familiarity. By avoiding "novelty" trends, we ensured that existing supporters felt a sense of continuity, while new audiences perceived a brand that was professional and relevant.

A Cohesive Community Ecosystem

The visual system was designed to scale across digital platforms, hospital signage, and physical merchandise. This consistency reinforced the brand’s presence in the community, making it recognizable and reliable across all touchpoints.

Subtle Evolution vs. Radical Change

We subtly integrated historical cues into a contemporary framework. This allowed the organization to evolve its "external perception" while remaining fundamentally aligned with its "internal vision" and legacy.

Outcome

Stronger Mission Alignment: A brand that now accurately reflects its heart to the world.
Increased Vitality: Enhanced emotional connection led to additional funding and high-profile collaborations.
Community Approval: Unanimous positive feedback from long-time stakeholders and new supporters alike.
Resilient Identity: A scalable, modern system that honors a 75-year legacy of care while preparing for the next generation.

Stronger Mission Alignment: A brand that now accurately reflects its heart to the world.

Increased Vitality: Enhanced emotional connection led to additional funding and high-profile collaborations.

Community Approval: Unanimous positive feedback from long-time stakeholders and new supporters alike.

Resilient Identity: A scalable, modern system that honors a 75-year legacy of care while preparing for the next generation.

Stronger Mission Alignment: A brand that now accurately reflects its heart to the world.

Increased Vitality: Enhanced emotional connection led to additional funding and high-profile collaborations.

Community Approval: Unanimous positive feedback from long-time stakeholders and new supporters alike.

Resilient Identity: A scalable, modern system that honors a 75-year legacy of care while preparing for the next generation.

Stronger Mission Alignment: A brand that now accurately reflects its heart to the world.

Increased Vitality: Enhanced emotional connection led to additional funding and high-profile collaborations.

Community Approval: Unanimous positive feedback from long-time stakeholders and new supporters alike.

Resilient Identity: A scalable, modern system that honors a 75-year legacy of care while preparing for the next generation.

Contact

Have a project in mind?

We collaborate with teams and individuals to solve meaningful problems and build thoughtful, human-centered experiences and brands. If you’d like to explore an idea or start a conversation, feel free to get in touch.

hello@fruitlabstudio.com