Opinion: Mock the Rebrand, but Don’t Dismiss the Purpose

Written by Darryl on 29 Jun 2025

Opinion: Mock the Rebrand, but Don’t Dismiss the Purpose

Are we not voicing our opinions because we actually care?

NHG Health’s rebrand had some online commentators wondering if patients cared. It was implied that the money could have been better spent, or more bluntly, that it was wasted on a vanity project.

I do not share the same opinion.

This is NHG Health’s first rebrand since its establishment in 2000. Aside from a minor tweak to its logo in 2012 (a simple gradient update), there has never been a project to modernise its identity for the digital age. Rebrands can be costly, but should be seen as an investment in brand building. Barring a cultural shift that renders human-like logos problematic (à la “Z” becoming Russian propaganda), I can see this new logo lasting at least another decade, especially since rebrands in the public healthcare industry — where prudent spending of public funds is a must — are rare.

Branding Goes Beyond Patients

Is brand building important for NHG Health? As a public healthcare provider, it does not need to “attract customers”, or necessarily distinguish itself from SingHealth. Patients may not even care about the rebrand, as long as they get well.

But this rebrand goes beyond reaching to patients — it gives thousands of employees across the network of hospitals, polyclinics and specialist centres a new identity to rally behind. It also signals to aspiring healthcare professionals that NHG Health is a forward-looking employer of choice. Frankly, the old logo had overstayed its welcome. This updated visual direction injects much-needed dynamism into the brand.

At its core, a healthcare provider should make patients healthier (duh), and everything else is secondary. By this logic, we should scrap vanity features like air-conditioning and ignore the paint peeling off the walls. The logo might as well just be “NHG Health” written in default Calibri.

We are a pragmatic lot, but sometimes pragmatic to a fault. Yes, many things can (and should be) measured in dollars and cents, but if we do not place value on the arts, we risk becoming a soulless city. If branding — arguably the most business-aligned creative discipline — is seen as wasteful, then we can forget about Singapore ever becoming an arts hub.

A New Chapter

Take it from an NHG Health patient who goes for medical appointments every three months. For the past decade, my visits to the old National Skin Centre building were met with dread — yellow lights, dim corridors, and a smell that clung to the air. Surely, a developed nation can offer a better public healthcare experience.

During my first visit to the new National Skin Centre building in 2023, the experience was way more enjoyable. Gone were the yellow lights and stale air. Nurses were also visibly happier to be working in a space that felt brighter and more dignified. The NHG Health rebrand completes this refreshed experience and signals a new chapter in serving a graying population.

Value of the Intangible

In this time of economic instability, the creative industry is suffering, no thanks to the “unessential” perception in that revealing ST poll. After crossing a significant milestone of 25 years in operation, NHG Health is long overdue for and deserving of a rebrand. A creative agency put in the work to deliver a logo that, importantly, does not scream extravagance.

Poking fun at the awkward name and platitude-filled press release is fair game, but we should not be cynical to assume this was not done to uplift patients and strengthen NHG Health’s employer brand. If we choose not to see the beauty in the intangible, perhaps we deserve the dullness of being cogs in a soulless machine.

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