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Case study · Branding · Funchal · 2025 to 2026

The new identity of a 518-year-old brand.

Abstract

Founded in 1508 by D. Manuel I, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Funchal enters a turning point with the new Complexo Social de Santa Clara, co-financed by the PRR. The new brand harmonises the institutional weight of five centuries with the modernity of that project.

1508 founded518 years of history

    urbanistas

    Português

    Case study · Branding · Funchal · 2025 to 2026

    The new identity of a 518-year-old brand.

    Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Funchal · Design

    Abstract

    Founded in 1508 by D. Manuel I, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Funchal enters a turning point with the new Complexo Social de Santa Clara, co-financed by the PRR. The new brand harmonises the institutional weight of five centuries with the modernity of that project.

    1508 founded · 518 years of history

    § 1 The problem

    Think

    With more than five centuries of history, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Funchal (SCMF) is a pillar of social solidarity in the region. It evolved from hospital work into a network of socio-economic support that includes care homes, day centres and food support, and keeps alive the mission of practising Christian mercy.

    The new identity comes at a moment of strategic change, driven by the construction of the new Complexo Social de Santa Clara. The challenge: to harmonise the institutional weight of a 500-year legacy with the modernity of a rehabilitation and well-being project, in a brand anchored in tradition that projects a sustainable, innovative and humanised future.

    The Santa Casa symbol, in blue on white.
    Fig. 1 The new symbol.

    § 2 Where the idea came from

    Think

    The concept celebrates the institution’s origins: it recovers the geometry of the five quinas of the coat of arms of D. Manuel I, founder of the SCMF in 1508. A minimalist graphic synthesis, inspired by the modern architectural line of the new Complexo Social de Santa Clara.

    The coat of arms of D. Manuel I beside the new symbol, in white on blue.
    Fig. 2 From the coat of arms of D. Manuel I to the symbol.

    § 3 First, the idea that gives form

    Experiment

    Before the form, the sketchbook: crowns, a halo, shields, “cross + quinas” and an “S” with the silhouette of the Virgin. It is the proof of the alternatives explored, and it gives the project’s only written date, 5 December 2025.

    Sketchbook with crowns, halo, shields, cross and quinas, and an S with the silhouette of the Virgin.
    Fig. 3 Page of the sketchbook (5/12/25).

    § 4 Building the symbol

    Create

    The elements are arranged in a visual interplay that evokes the construction and solidity that characterise the SCMF. The visual closure at the intersection of the forms reveals the Cross of Christ, the core of the mission of mercy.

    Geometric construction grid of the symbol.
    Fig. 4 The geometric grid of arcs and modules.

    § 5 Technical information

    Create

    The sans-serif typography modernises the whole: a brand that respects history and projects a robust, architectural institutional image.

    Main colour
    Pantone 3581 C Newport Indigo · #2b3769
    Secondary colour
    Pantone Premium Metallics Coated Silver C · #a6a9aa
    Versions
    Main, secondary and simplified
    A Pantone 3581 C Newport Indigo swatch on a rough dark-blue stone.A Pantone Premium Metallics Coated Silver C swatch on silver granules.
    Fig. 5 The two colours, Pantone 3581 C Newport Indigo and Pantone Premium Metallics Coated Silver C.

    § 6 Final work

    Create

    The Santa Casa logo in motion: the symbol in blue volume arrives at the complete logo.Corduroy bag with the embroidered logo.
    Fig. 6 The logo in motion: the symbol in volume (≈0.7 s) arrives at the still logo (≈5.8 s).
    Two kraft-covered notebooks with the brand engraved, “De porta aberta, desde 1508.”, and a pen with the symbol.The symbol as a blue and silver enamel pin, on the collar of a white polo shirt.
    Fig. 7 The brand applied: notebooks and pen, and the enamel pin. Simulations, not photographs of real applications.
    White DL envelopes with the logo and the blue flap with the symbol pattern.
    Fig. 8 DL envelopes with the symbol pattern on the flap. Simulation.

    § 7 People involved

    • Nuno Serrão, Creative Director
    • Ana Bettencourt, Designer
    • Andreia Rodrigues, Designer
    • João Viveiros, Web development

    § 8 Other areas of the project

    • Signage

      Signage for the Complexo Social de Santa Clara.

    Contacts

    Phone
    965 723 315
    Email
    info@urbanistas.pt
    Address
    Startup Madeira, EV 167, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal
    Instagram
    @urbanistas.pt