First and Frontline: Designing a Bold New Identity for PANL

When you’re having the worst day of your life, paramedics are the first ones through the door. They’re the calm in the chaos, the people who start care before you’ve even reached a hospital, and the frontline of healthcare in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Paramedics Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL) exists to support these professionals and shine a light on their essential role.

And speaking of shining a light, meet their new brand identity!

We had the privilege of designing PANL’s refreshed logo and visual system as part of our annual Brand-Tastic Contest this past fall. The result is bold, unmistakable, and rooted in what paramedics do best: being first and frontline.

The Challenge: An Identity That Matches the Mission

PANL isn’t new. They’ve been around since 2005, giving paramedics access to training tools, insurance, mental health support, and a united voice in the province. But as the profession grew and the demands on frontline healthcare became more complex, their identity needed to catch up.

The ask was clear: create a brand that reflects the strength, reliability, and guidance paramedics provide. It had to stand out from other healthcare and emergency associations. It had to be instantly recognizable. And it had to communicate one thing above all else - paramedics are always there first.

Discovery: Listening Before Sketching

We don’t just jump into Illustrator and start throwing shapes around. Every strong brand starts with listening. We kicked things off with a discovery session where PANL laid out who they are, what their members need, and how they want to be seen by the public.

We dug into their story: the frontline role of paramedics, their unique position in emergencies, and the way PANL advocates for practitioners across the province. That gave us the north star (pun intended) to guide the design.

Only then did we move to sketches, exploring how we could visually capture “first” and “frontline” without being generic to the often-used symbols of the profession. The goal wasn’t to mimic the symbols of other emergency services, but to carve out something distinctive that felt like Newfoundland and Labrador paramedics.

The Symbol: A Beacon in the Storm

The lighthouse became the heart of the design.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know lighthouses aren’t just quaint tourist stops (Ok, some of them are), they’re lifesaving beacons. For centuries, they’ve guided people safely home through storms and uncertainty. That’s exactly what PANL does for paramedics, and what paramedics do for people in dire straits. 

By placing the lighthouse in the centre of the design, we anchored the association as a guiding force for its members. It’s upright, steady, and impossible to miss.

The Shape: A Nod to Emergency

Behind the lighthouse sits a six-point star. To most people, it reads as a burst of bold energy, but for those in the field, it nods to the “Star of Life,” the internationally recognized symbol of emergency medical services. Instead of copying it directly, we abstracted the shape, strong, sharp, and radiating outward from the beacon in the middle.

It gives the logo a sense of urgency without leaning into cliché.

The Colour: Bold by Design

Green isn’t the first colour most people associate with emergency services. And that’s the point.

Red often signals firefighters. Blue leans police. PANL wanted something that would stand apart from other services while still feeling commanding. The bright green works on multiple levels; it’s fresh, it pops against black, and it carries connotations of growth and support.

For PANL, green also says: we’re not here to blend in. We’re here to lead.

The Tagline: First & Frontline

Sometimes you don’t need a metaphor - you need the truth.

“First & Frontline” is as direct as it gets. Paramedics are always the first ones on scene. They are the frontline of medical emergencies. And PANL is the organization that represents and supports them in that critical role.

The tagline reinforces what the visuals communicate and gives PANL a phrase that’s as clear and strong as their members.

From Sketches to System

Logos don’t live in isolation; they have to work across every platform an organization uses. That meant stress-testing the PANL brand on everything from digital profiles to printed material to large-scale signage.

We refined proportions so the lighthouse wouldn’t disappear at small sizes, balanced the green and black for maximum contrast, and made sure the tagline could travel with or without the primary logo lockup.

The result? A brand that’s versatile, scalable, and built to last.

Why It Matters

Yes, we designed a sharp-looking logo. But branding isn’t about decoration; it’s about strategy.

For PANL, this identity isn’t just a new coat of paint. It’s a way of unifying their voice, strengthening their presence, and giving paramedics across the province a banner to rally under. It helps the public see and respect the people who show up first when everything goes wrong.

And for us, it’s proof of what happens when design starts with discovery and ends with clarity. By listening, sketching, testing, and refining, we helped PANL tell their story in a way that can’t be ignored.

The Bigger Picture

Every organization has a story. The difference between being heard and being overlooked often comes down to how well that story is told visually. PANL needed a brand that honoured their frontline members and signalled leadership in the province. Now they have one.

We believe design is strategy in action. The PANL project is a reminder that when identity, symbolism, and story align, you don’t just get a logo - you get a beacon.

Ready to Go Rogue?

Branding isn’t guesswork. It’s data, design, creative problem solving, and clear choices. If you’re ready to stand out, contact us and Go Rogue. We’ll help you find your voice, and make sure it’s heard!