How do we begin to understand something as complex as bipolar disorder? In our work with the Bipolar Action Network, we had to first attempt to understand the condition, then understand the societal and industry-level factors that make better funding and treatment so difficult to gain. From there, we had to community the power and possibility of the network in order to build funding and recruit more members to the cause.
A Learning Health Network driven by Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Cincinnati Children’s, and a nationwide community of researchers, clinicians, and patients. Its mission: accelerate understanding, improve treatment, and build support for bipolar disorder. Our role: define a strategy, craft a brand identity, and design a full rollout that would activate this community and help the Network raise funding, attract partners, and drive change.
The opportunity wasn’t just about visual storytelling—it was about positioning a movement. Our strategic insight: this network represents a shift from fragmented care to unified progress. From stigma and misunderstanding to transparency and action. From darkness into light.
To develop a brand that resonated across audiences, we created a series of narrative personas—constructed through interviews with patients, caregivers, and providers. These weren’t demographics—they were lived experiences, designed to inform communication, design, and stakeholder alignment across the network.
From lapel pins to launch presentations to immersive conference graphics, our identity system did more than represent—it connected. The visual language was built to inspire confidence in patients, cohesion among partners, and credibility with funders. This wasn’t just a logo; it was a visual expression of a shared mission.
Through strategic clarity and integrated creative execution, the Bipolar Action Network now stands with the tools to grow: faster, smarter, and with more public and professional support. It’s a brand that does more than communicate, it leads.