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Headspace built one of the most recognisable looks in wellness: the orange smiley, said to be inspired by the robes worn in the Buddhist meditation tradition, and breath-driven animation. After its 3 billion dollar merger with the mental health service Ginger in 2021 it added one-to-one coaching and care, and by April 2024 the brand needed to speak to members dealing with everything from sleep and everyday stress to anxiety and depression.

The redesign was developed by Headspace's in-house team with support from Italic Studio. Its team said that evolving as a mental health brand exposed the need for an identity that was kind, warm and welcoming across a wide range of need states. A new proprietary typeface, a Headspace version of Aperçu, was chosen for its ability to flex from playful to clinical as the company moves into more health markets, with curves designed to echo the Headspace smile.

The face was kept but evolved: a new illustration style adds a range of expressions beyond the smile, covering stress, sadness, contentment and every mood in between, and animation is still used to simplify complex ideas. Orange still leads, now with a supporting palette meant to represent a wider range of emotions and to be more careful about contrast and accessibility. More photography shows the new services.

It's Nice That read the result as a more professional persona with the playfulness still present, but called the photography a risk given how impactful the lone floating head had been. It also noted how bright the colours look in a mental healthcare category it described as dreary.

The emotional range in the illustrations is the smartest move: a brand that only smiles is the wrong companion for depression. The photography is where it gets generic, and Headspace should be careful not to trade the most ownable character in the category for stock-style health imagery.