New logo for Healthy Life

Healthy Life is an Australian health and wellness retailer with around 50 stores nationally, and has been around for nearly 50 years. It offers natural, organic, and eco-friendly goods, coupled with qualified health practitioners to provide expert advice in natural health solutions. Its comprehensive product range includes organic and whole foods, superfoods, allergy-free foods, drinks and herbal teas, supplements, sports nutrition, natural hair and skin care, and lifestyle products. (About Us)

I don’t know how old the previous logo was, but it was set in American Typewriter, a slab serif from the 1970s that gave it an old-fashioned feel. The colour combo of chartreuse and, uh, dark moss green(?) further gave off a retro vibe. I’ll be honest – I associate that chartreuse in particular with sickness and, you know, vomit, rather than good health and vitality, so not a great choice. The “tree” icon was also a poor execution. Not only was it in a weird position, its almost perfect circles and thin strokes looked too fragile against the thick, punchy type. And what was the deal with the full stop? There was no statement being made here. Overall, the old logo had the best intentions, but it was looking pretty dated.

The new logo changes tack by getting rid of the tree and embracing a contemporary geometric sans in the form of Galano Grotesque, a typeface which, like the classics of this style (Futura, Avenir) won’t show its age for a while yet. At the heart of the logo is just that, a rotated heart shape that replaces the L of “Life”. At first, it looks rather foreign to the design – a thick, boot-shaped blob that interrupts the flow of the text. One might even accuse it of looking like a lowercase b (Healthy bife?). But I like it. Its symbolism is relevant to both the word it leads and the brand it represents. Plus that pop of orange against the (more sophisticated) pine green is just so arresting.

This is a wonderful update for Healthy Life. The change of typeface alone brings the logo into the 21st century and the new colour palette is fresh and reassuring. The heart icon is an unexpected element – bold yet simple, expressive yet unassuming. It’s a unique visual shorthand that sticks in your mind and I love how it’s applied so confidently on staff uniforms. This heart is definitely in the right place.