OB/GYN Practice, by MALVI
This OB/GYN clinic was established by the client’s father, and has since remained as one of Thessaloniki’s most renowned clinics which now hosts the office and private practice of the client. Our main goal was to underline the tradition that comes with the years of experience of the practice, and at the same time balance it with the modern profile of the current owner.
The need for a more functional and comfortable practice, along with the reflection of the doctor’s personality into the brand and space, defined the rules and guidelines for the design of the clinic and its corporate identity.
The aim was to create a practice that would be both practical and operational for both the doctor and the staff. At the same time this fact should also be communicated to the visitors, and the brand combined with the space should be perceived as one entity. There was also a requirement for the space to express the personal taste of the doctor, as well as to create a sense of relaxation, trust and professionalism to the visitors.
In this project the brand is naturally more personal than corporate, so there is no need for a logotype in the traditional sense, but rather for a distinctive mark. The mark is derived from three concentric circles that can be interpreted as the three pregnancy trimesters, the three phases of the menstrual cycle or the ovary/embryo itself. Any of these interpretations can be used accordingly, depending on the occasion.
Using the contrast between the neo classical feel and the modern style as the starting point for the design, the brand identity for the practice was in line with the main concept, strikingly present in the interior design. The absence of colors and the selected patterns pair with the interior design materials, surfaces and textures, in order to complement the overall ambience of the space. In the waiting and reception areas the concept is carried through by selecting appropriate materials. The reception desk is made of marble and a black Corian surface, a combination that bears a reference to the convergence between the old and the new.
We decided to emphasize the pre-existing neo-classical features of the pre-WWII era building by extending them, in order to create a balanced “conversation” between how the practice used to be and its renewed state. To highlight this contrast, we introduced heavier elements, such as the metal structured doors and steel lighting fixtures.
The use of materials plays a key role in the delivery of the concept to the space. There is a fusion of traditional and modern materials like the wooden floor and the steel doors. This mixture of modern and traditional is emphasised by the unique and unexpected use of typical neo-classical plaster decorations on the ceiling in the waiting room. References to the building’s era, such as the velvet curtains, create a nostalgic and more familiar ambience for patients, making it easier for them to connect with more unconventional materials, like the styled concrete wall of the examination and cardiotocography rooms.
