Overview

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust is one of the UK’s leading healthcare providers, also known for its extensive fine art collection. In a unique collaboration, the hospital porters partnered with Breathe Arts Health Research and poet Simon Mole to curate a special artwork display along the hospital corridors they use regularly. This initiative, called The Art of Portering, engages porters with the hospital’s cultural heritage and provides them with meaningful talking points when interacting with patients.

Challenge

The main challenge was creating a design that was visually engaging and easy to understand, with clear, accessible visuals for everyone, regardless of age or culture. Additionally, it had to integrate seamlessly with the hospital’s existing branding and fine art collection.

Solution

To create an identity that reflected the porters’ crucial role in the hospital, I took inspiration from the color of their uniforms. This became the foundation for the project’s visual identity, which is a combination of two elements: framing (artwork) and directions.

  • Framing: The framing concept reflects the vital role porters play in connecting people and spaces. Just as frames encircle a piece of art, porters encircle the hospital, linking departments, staff, and patients together. This visual metaphor helped communicate the porters’ essential function while complementing the hospital’s fine art collection.

  • The arrow represents the wayfinding role porters play in guiding patients through the hospital. By incorporating clear, intuitive visual cues, the design also served a functional purpose, helping visitors navigate the hospital with ease.

Given the diverse audience, accessibility was a key consideration. The visuals were designed to be sharp, clear, and universally understandable, ensuring that people of all ages and backgrounds could interact with and appreciate the artwork. The final designs were also aligned with the existing branding of both Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Breathe Arts Health Research, creating a cohesive and polished look.

This project was an extraordinary opportunity to blend healthcare, art, and design, creating an environment that enhances both the patient experience and the staff’s connection to the hospital’s cultural heritage.

More info here: Breathe Arts Health Research The Art of Portering

Feedback

“It’s been a pleasure working with Jaume on the Art of Portering project. His visually striking design really helped bring our project to life and enabled a lot of information to be included in a way that was easy for viewers to digest and understand. I would highly recommend.”

Imogen Gray

Project Manager

Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust

Credits

Role

Design Lead

Clients

Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust

Breathe Arts Health Research

Year

2019-2021