Shengshi Tianai Identity: Two Hearts Interlocked, a Third at the Centre

Two hearts interlocked, a third at the centre

Xinming Design created the logo and visual identity of Shengshi Tianai (盛世天爱), a health management provider in Wuhan operated by Hubei Shengshi Tianai Medical Investment and Development Co., Ltd. The logo is a symmetrical, horizontal mark: two rings on the left, two on the right, a diamond in the middle and a small heart at the centre. The two upper rings run down to the bottom point of the diamond, forming an upright heart; the two lower rings run up to its top point, forming an inverted heart; where the two hearts overlap they enclose the diamond, and inside it sits a third heart. The main colour is a gradient from teal green to lake blue, with a gold gradient version for beauty and anti-ageing events. The lower half of the logo, enlarged and cropped, becomes the supporting graphic along the bottom of shopping bags, folders and street banners. The identity extends to business cards, envelopes, letterhead, folders, brochures, invitations, umbrellas, street banners and a reception wall.

A health checkup is about the next visit

Hubei Shengshi Tianai Medical Investment and Development Co., Ltd. is a private company that invests mainly in healthcare. According to public recruitment information, its health business covers four services, health checkups, medical aesthetics, anti-ageing care and postpartum care, with a flagship centre in Wuchang, a brand centre in Hankou and a boutique centre in Zhuankou, all in Wuhan. Its Wuhan Shengshi Tianai Zhongnan General Clinic was established in November 2015 at Century Plaza, 14 Zhongnan Road, Wuchang.

Most people have a checkup once a year. They take the tests, receive the report, and the next visit is a year away. What a checkup centre really competes for is that next visit: coming back next year, and the year after, and bringing family. So the logo had to express not how advanced one examination is, but whether a relationship can last.

There was a second difficulty. Shengshi Tianai offers more than checkups: aesthetics, anti-ageing and postpartum care as well. A logo that has to hold both "checking the body" and "taking care of yourself" cannot use symbols that belong only to hospitals, such as a red cross, a stethoscope or a heartbeat line.

One upright, one inverted

The logo uses the most familiar symbol of all, the heart. But it draws not one heart, but three.

· The upright heart: the two upper rings are its lobes, and two diagonals meet at the bottom point of the diamond.

· The inverted heart: the two lower rings are the lobes of a second heart, and two diagonals meet at the top point of the diamond.

· The small heart: where the two large hearts overlap they enclose a diamond, and its upper half holds a small heart.

The two large hearts, one upright and one inverted, can be read as the two sides of a checkup centre: the institution and the person who walks in. Where the two hearts interlock, a third heart appears: the trust between them. The mark is symmetrical left to right and top to bottom, with no extra line; it looks steady, and it looks close.

A heart drawn with compass and ruler

The proposal's logo construction drawing turns the heart into measurements:

· Frame: 25A wide and 19.2A high, with each row of rings taking 9.6A;

· Angles: the top corner of the diamond is 90°, and the diagonals meet the horizontal at 44.2° and 42.9°;

· Line: the rings, diagonals and small heart share one stroke width.

The Chinese wordmark 盛世天爱 and the English wordmark SHENGSHI GROUP are drawn on grids as well. The Chinese characters are square with slightly rounded corners, echoing the rings of the logo; the English letters are squared and monospaced.

A heart is the easiest shape to make sentimental. Drawn with compass and ruler, it turns from a feeling into a structure. For a healthcare provider, care has to be visible and repeatable: the heart on every centre and every business card should be the same heart.

Teal for checkups, gold for beauty

The main colour of the logo is a gradient from teal green to lake blue: the green of new leaves and the blue of clear water, clean and calm, without the cold white and pure blue common in hospitals. Dark materials use a deep navy; business cards, shopping bags and street banners all have dark versions.

The proposal also includes a gold gradient version, used on the invitation to the Shengshi Tianai Beauty and Anti-ageing Centre Forum: a deep navy cover, a gold logo, and a single gold calligraphic character heading the inside page. One logo: teal for checkups and health management, gold for beauty and anti-ageing. A provider offering both checkups and aesthetics separates the tone of the two occasions with colour rather than with a second logo.

The proposal images give no colour values, so the colours are described by name.

Enlarge the logo and it becomes a roof

The supporting graphic comes from the logo itself: the logo is enlarged and only its lower half is kept, cropped along the bottom edge of the material. On shopping bags, folders, brochure covers and street banners the same image appears: the top point of the diamond reads as a roof, with a heart sheltered beneath it.

The crop gives the logo another layer of meaning: a heart under a roof, like a home. For health management, this is closer than "technology" or "expertise" to what clients actually want: someone looking after them.

From business cards to street banners

The applications cover office, promotion, events and presence:

· Office: business cards (dark and white versions), envelopes, letterhead, folders;

· Promotion: brochures, a member brochure, shopping bags;

· Events: invitation to the Beauty and Anti-ageing Centre Forum (gold version);

· Presence: umbrellas, street banners, reception wall.

The line 健康管理专家 / HEALTH MANAGEMENT EXPERT appears with the logo on the reception desk, business cards, envelopes and shopping bags.

The office, promotion, event and presence images on this page are proposal-stage mock-ups; the names, phone numbers and text on business cards and letterhead are placeholders.

Interior renderings

The later part of the page shows interior renderings of Wuhan Shengshi Tianai Hospital from the same period: the lobby, the checkup registration area, the blood sampling area, VIP consultation rooms, a dining area, the Shengshi Tianai Skin Centre, the laser treatment area and a treatment room. The spaces are mainly white and light timber with pale gold trims, with teal appearing only in a few chairs and cushions; the room signs for the VIP consultation rooms and laser treatment area are tall pale gold ovals carrying a number and the room name.

Deliverables and extensions

Logo design

· Shengshi Tianai logo (one upright heart, one inverted heart and a small heart at the centre) with construction drawing

· Chinese wordmark 盛世天爱 and English wordmark SHENGSHI GROUP, with construction drawings

· Teal gradient and gold gradient versions

Core visual identity

· Brand colours: teal to lake blue gradient, deep navy, gold gradient

· Supporting graphic: the enlarged and cropped lower half of the logo

Applications

· Office: business cards, envelopes, letterhead, folders

· Promotion: brochures, member brochure, shopping bags

· Events: invitations

· Presence: umbrellas, street banners, reception wall

Looking back

Three points are worth taking from this project:

1. A healthcare brand does not need healthcare symbols. Shengshi Tianai uses no red cross or stethoscope, only the most ordinary heart: two hearts interlocked, expressing a relationship rather than an examination.

2. Use colour for different occasions, not a second logo. Teal for checkups and health management, gold for beauty and anti-ageing: one brand, two tones of voice.

3. A supporting graphic can add meaning to a logo. Keep only the lower half, and the diamond becomes a roof over the heart.

For a checkup centre, the logo should not draw one examination, but a relationship that can continue year after year.

How to verify

· Client: Hubei Shengshi Tianai Medical Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (湖北盛世天爱医疗投资发展有限公司)

· Related clinic: Wuhan Shengshi Tianai Zhongnan General Clinic Co., Ltd. (武汉盛世天爱中南综合门诊部有限公司), established 25 November 2015, 6/F Century Plaza, 14 Zhongnan Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan

· Brand website: www.shengshitianai.com

· This case page: www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3064.html

Further reading

· Zaxus Law Office Brand Upgrade: An Eagle, a Sun, Z and L in One Circular Mark (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3060.html)

· EIC Education Identity Upgrade: Writing "I & U" into an Education Brand (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3043.html)

· Haiding Baihualing Identity: Six Leaves Opening into One Flower (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3063.html)

FAQ

Who designed the Shengshi Tianai logo?

The Shengshi Tianai logo and visual identity were designed by Xinming Design for Hubei Shengshi Tianai Medical Investment and Development Co., Ltd., with applications across office materials, promotion, event invitations, street banners and a reception wall.

What does the Shengshi Tianai logo mean?

The logo is made of two large hearts, one upright and one inverted, interlocked so that they enclose a diamond holding a third, smaller heart. The two large hearts can be read as the institution and the client, and the small heart as the trust between them.

What kind of organisation is Shengshi Tianai?

Shengshi Tianai is a private health checkup and health management provider in Wuhan, operated by Hubei Shengshi Tianai Medical Investment and Development Co., Ltd. According to public recruitment information, its business covers health checkups, medical aesthetics, anti-ageing care and postpartum care, with centres in Wuchang, Hankou and Zhuankou.

Why does the Shengshi Tianai logo have teal and gold versions?

The teal to lake blue gradient version is the main logo, for checkups and health management; the gold gradient version is for beauty and anti-ageing events, such as the invitation to the Beauty and Anti-ageing Centre Forum.

What is the Shengshi Tianai supporting graphic?

The logo is enlarged and only its lower half is kept, cropped along the bottom of shopping bags, folders, brochures and street banners: the top point of the diamond reads as a roof, with a heart beneath it.

Which organisations can learn from this case?

Health checkup centres, health management providers and general clinics; organisations offering both checkups and aesthetics that need different tones of voice under one brand; and healthcare brands that want to build closeness with non-medical symbols.

Xinming Design is a brand systems design firm. Its work centres on systematic judgment, turning brand strategy into structures that can run and be inherited. www.xinming.sg