Introducing Anja Health's New Brand Identity

Last week, we revealed a new visual brand across Anja Health's website and social channels. Our new visual identity better communicates the experience we aspire to create for our families—an experience in which they feel guided, delighted, and supported by science-backed knowledge during their pregnancy journey.

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Anja Health's origin story

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When our founder Kathryn Cross was three years old, her one-year-old brother, Andrew, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after a near-drowning accident.

Doctors told the Cross family that Andrew would no longer be able to mentally function. With that, they started searching for treatments in the U.S. and China. Kathryn's mom found a study from Duke University that demonstrated that motor and social skills significantly improved in children with cerebral palsy who received cord blood stem cell therapy.

Sadly, Andrew passed away in February of 2021 at age 19 from pneumonia and complications from cerebral palsy because there wasn't a stem cell match available because Andrew was of mixed race. Ethnicity is important in predicting the likelihood of finding a stem cell match. 

Still, even if they had found a donor in a public bank, Andrew would have to take immunosuppressants to ensure that his body didn't reject the stem cells.

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Where Anja Health started

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After this experience with her family, Kathryn was inspired to create a solution to make private stem cell banking accessible and affordable for all families. In July 2021, we officially launched Anja Health: the first affordable Stem Cell Safe. 

We wanted to help more parents collect and cryogenically preserve their baby's cord blood to prepare for future stem cell treatments—regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or income. Our brand voice was very casual and conversational, and our branding was full of purple jewel tones and bold fonts, mirroring Kathryn's presence on TikTok, which was paramount to the birth of the brand.

"The healthcare system, including—maybe even especially—cord blood banks, is in a crisis of trust right now," says Kathryn Cross. "People are tired of old care models that don't tailor to each individual—or, in the instance of cord blood banking, each family. I am personally excited about how Anja Health is delivering a more affordable, more collaborative experience for all families, especially those who have historically not received good exposure or education on the importance of cord blood banking."

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Introducing Anja Health's new brand identity

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While we already serve hundreds of families, we want to ensure our brand resonates with families of all ages and structures as we grow. We want to give our community science-backed information in an easy-to-understand format to help them make an informed decision about their family's future health. 

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Our team has worked hard to evolve Anja's brand identity in this way. We are excited about how this visual rebrand will support even more families to understand that the frontier of medicine is cell-based and accessible to everyone. 

So, what's new?

• Color and typography choices that feel trustworthy & timeless, highlighting our clinical expertise
• A new photography style that celebrates real families and the uniqueness of our community
• A new, dynamic illustration style that brings delight to the cord banking experience
• A new wordmark that feels modern, mature, and still approachable
  

Certainly, our brand will continue to evolve & be guided by our community over time. Still, we'll never lose focus on keeping families at the center of the experience.

Share your thoughts about the new look on Instagram.