Centene Corporation is a healthcare insurer that operates as an intermediary for health care programs that are sponsored by the government or privately insured. As of 2021, it was ranked number 24 on the Fortune 500 list. It places the emphasis on uninsured, underinsured, and low-income individuals.
The Centene Corporation logo is an example of a typographical logo – you will have a hard time trying to find a single pictorial element here. What does this say about the company and what kind of image does it project?
To begin with, let’s trace the company’s roots, to get a better understanding of its brand identity.
Back in 1984, Betty Brinn, who was a former hospital bookkeeper, introduced a nonprofit Medicaid plan. Based on this health plan, she started a business, which worked from the basement of Family Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The original name of the firm was Family Hospital Physician Associates. Unfortunately, history hasn’t preserved many examples of the earliest logo.
The current name was adopted in 1997. At the same time, the company’s corporate office was established in St. Louis, Missouri.
The logo featuring the name “Centene Corporation” has a business-like appearance. And yet, it also has a subtle personal touch.
The “business” message comes from the type used for the word “Centene.” The glyphs have regular proportions and belong to a clean sans serif font. They are also rather bold. On the one hand, this may look somewhat generic. On the other hand, its role is the same as that of, for instance, a formal suit – it doesn’t reveal too much and present only what is needed to do the job (that is, to present the name of the company in a legible way). Even the color is pretty business-like. Dark blue is often used for uniforms. In spite of the rather deep and saturated shade chosen for the logo, it still has this “default” or “neutral” quality.
What is Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation is a multi-line managed care company. It is known as the second-largest publicly traded corporation headquartered in the state of Missouri.
Yet, there is one exception to this rule – the letter “T,” which is the central character in the Centene Corporation logo, has an elongated vertical line, which stretches far below the horizontal line, along which the word is aligned. Also, due to this, the “T” merges with the “C” in the word “Corporation.”
The second word, which is placed below, has a dramatically different appearance. It is by far lighter both in terms of the strokes and the color. The word is set in italics and is smaller. As a result, it is somewhat overshadowed by the “Centene.” Such an approach has been used for a reason. The designers who worked on the logo didn’t want the word “Corporation” to steal the limelight as in fact it isn’t necessary to realize what company the logo belongs to – “Centene” is enough for the purpose.
We should also point out that the gray word also has a slight personal touch. That’s because the italics remind of handwriting. So, it is like a handwritten note placed next to the formal wordmark in blue. It is like a promise that customers will find some empathy and understanding when they deal with the company.
The combination of dark blue and gray is both formal and beautiful. It is more unique than an austere black-and-white color scheme, and still, it means business.
The combination of two very different typefaces is the highlight of the Centene Corporation logo.