Good design spices up a hospital’s history

When people go to a hospital, they don’t typically think about its history. They think about whether the hospital can cure their illnesses, remove their tumors, or deliver a good prognosis.

But when Children’s Hospital Colorado turned 100 years old, representatives wanted to celebrate its rich history and lifetime of service to the people of Colorado. They accomplished this with a book that earned top honors in the Best Design category of Ragan’s Health Care PR and Marketing Awards for 2012.

The hospital’s book isn’t just any old history book. It’s worthy of any coffee table. The design is fresh, clean, and minimalist, which gives it a modern feel. The book celebrates the hospital’s history, but there is no question the hospital is focused on its future.

The book’s image-heavy layout makes the hospital’s history compelling and engaging in a way most history books could not. Photos pop off the page, illustrating a vibrant story about the hospital and the people who built it. Although the sizes of the photos in the book vary, many take up entire pages, making the hospital’s history more real and personal. The book also expertly pairs black-and-white photos from the past with color photos from the present, almost symbolizing how the hospital is moving forward with the help of its past.

Images have a strong presence in the book, but the text holds its own, popping up in all the right places to explain a photo in more detail or to provide background. The text is broken into short, manageable paragraphs, and the font is approachable and easy to read.

This book succeeds because its design expertly blends history with the present—and hope for the future. It illustrates pride in Children’s Hospital Colorado’s past, and inspires readers to become part of its future.

To view the winning design, please click here.