Step into the NHS

Inspiring a generation to step into the NHS

The NHS is England’s biggest employer with over 1.4 million staff. From doctors and nurses to gardeners and chefs, it provides a wide range of rewarding careers. Step into the NHS is the go-to website for nearly 4 million secondary school students in England offering careers information on the 350+ careers in the NHS.

Following our successful rebranding of Health Careers in 2019, Health Education England asked us to deliver a design rethink for the Step into the NHS website and its accompanying competitions and resources for schools from KS2–4.

We returned to the audience insights gathered during our Health Careers rebranding research to understand what young people look for in the design of careers information. Working alongside education specialists, Hopscotch, we devised a design system that works across all age groups effectively and while appealing to teachers.

Inspired by the NHS logo

Using the familiar NHS blue “lozenge” as a starting point, an open-door metaphor was created. It invites children and young people to step through it to learn about health care careers.

The shape of the door is a trapezium. It is applied as a signature pattern and a holding device for colour, image and written content. The colour palette, drawn from the NHS brand identity colours, differentiates material targeted at primary Key Stage 2 and secondary Key Stages 3 and 4.

“The NHS logo is instantly recognisable. It instils trust and confidence across all ages. Building on that brand familiarity, we created the trapeziums to give us the flexibility to be playful with the identity to appeal to younger people while reinforcing the core purpose of Step into the NHS. Inspiring the next generation of NHS workers is essential for its success. We very much hope this new identity helps inspire more young people to step into the NHS.”  Lisa Cromer, design director at Brand Ethos.

The redesign has been proven to be highly effective winning a design effectiveness award from the Design Business Association. You can view the award entry here.

You can visit the Step into the NHS website at https://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk