The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) has launched a new brand identity and campaign as part of an effort to modernize the profession’s image in Canada.

Developed with creative agency Humanity, CPA says the goal of the visual update is to strengthen the association’s collective voice and position physiotherapists as leaders in transforming health care. The new “Planes of Motion: The Science of Movement” creative platform was inspired by the framework physiotherapists use to understand how the body moves.

Images courtesy of Humanity

The CPA says its new logo’s intersecting shapes are a visual metaphor for its role in bringing together diverse disciplines, perspectives and areas of expertise. The mark also integrates references to the Star of Life, the universal symbol of emergency medical care, with a diagonal plane inspired by the energy of a runner’s momentum.

“Every element of the new CPA identity is intentional and ownable to physiotherapy,” said Carolyn Shaw, co-founder and CCO at Humanity. “We grounded ourselves in physiotherapy frameworks, the science of movement and the role physiotherapy professionals play in helping people move forward.”

Shaw says the project reflects the type of challenge Humanity is often brought in to solve. “Many of our clients are service-based organizations, associations, museums, charities, and healthcare organizations where the challenge isn’t branding a physical product – it’s articulating a purpose, a vision, or a transformation in a way that people immediately understand and connect with.”

The agency also developed a visual system for the association’s divisions and assemblies, alongside the “Built to Move” relaunch campaign spanning the CPA’s website, social channels and email communications. Additional paid social assets are planned as the association continues rolling out the new identity.