Still Rising

The house that hope built

For more than 40 years, Phoenix House has set the standard of care for the treatment of people struggling with, or at risk of, substance abuse. From its humble beginnings as a communal home and support structure for a handful of recovering heroin addicts, Phoenix House pioneered some of the field's best practices in addiction treatment and recovery management. Today, it has grown to oversee a network of 120 community residences, serving more than 7,000 clients each day.

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, Phoenix House articulated a bold vision for the future: to be the best substance-abuse care provider in the nation. But even though it thrives as a vital, dynamic, contemporary organization, Phoenix House was sometimes seen as outdated or "one size fits all." Phoenix House needed to shine a light on its continued relevance and leadership.

A strategy of optimism

Siegel+Gale was brought in to craft a visual and verbal identity that would set the story straight. We started by speaking with clients and staff to get an unvarnished sense of how they viewed the organization in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. From their inspiring stories, we realized the core purpose centers on leading those affected by addiction—including families and other members of the community—from disrupted to productive lives. Building the brand strategy on this optimistic, hopeful transformation energized the entire organization and helped focus the behaviors and communications of its personnel.

In alignment with the strategy, we designed a hopeful new symbol—a Phoenix, naturally—rising out of the ashes of addiction and symbolizing the metamorphosis Phoenix House helps clients make. With a complete visual system and guidelines, we gave Phoenix House the tools to unleash the new identity and align all print and digital communications.

Leadership in action

With a renewed sense of pride and self-awareness, Phoenix House began to communicate in a manner commensurate with its status as an industry leader—expressing itself with clarity, care and authority. Following the brand launch, Phoenix House’s annual Recovery Rally welcomed more than 1,500 participants, and interest in employment opportunities reached new heights.

We continue to work with Phoenix House to ensure that the organization lives and communicates its brand promise of shepherding those who are suffering from chaos to coherence, and from helplessness to hope.

In praise of Siegel+Gale’s work, a Phoenix House board member stated: "This new logo and tagline are staggeringly good...it's seldom that printed matter can strike an emotional chord in such an elegant, simple way. This does."