UPZ's New Brand Identity: Two Institutions, One Identity

UPZ's New Brand Identity: Guidance Through a Challenging Transformation Process

As of July 1, 2026, the University Psychiatric Services Bern (UPD) and the Münsingen Psychiatric Center (PZM) have joined forces to form the University Psychiatric Center Bern (UPZ). The merger created the largest university-affiliated mental health institution in the canton of Bern. The new UPZ brand identity was developed by the Bern-based agency diff., which also created the central website for the merged organization.

The central challenge was to bring together two established organizations with different histories, cultures, and strengths under a single brand. The goal was to create a brand identity that provides clarity, instills trust, and positions the new organization as a scientific leader while remaining approachable and human. The merger objectives and the vision of psychiatry at the heart of society served as the strategic foundation.

Clean design language, timeless visual identity

The new brand identity combines academic excellence, regional roots, and a connection to the community. This has resulted in a corporate design featuring a clear, understated visual language, a timeless visual identity, and communication focused on clarity. The brand identity, developed in collaboration with diff., is to be rolled out gradually across all relevant touchpoints.

The tight timeline was particularly challenging: there were only five months between the development of the new brand and the launch of the new website. At the same time, numerous organizational and content-related decisions were still being made as part of the ongoing transformation process that will follow the merger.

Website as a Reliable Information Platform for UPZ's New Brand Identity

The UPZ’s new website was developed in parallel with the branding initiative. It serves as a central information platform for patients, family members, referring physicians, healthcare professionals, applicants, and the general public. The information architecture was completely redesigned and consolidates the services of both former organizations into a single structure.

The technical solution takes into account the requirements of an ongoing transformation process in which content and offerings are being gradually consolidated. The new website must therefore not only showcase the new identity but also serve as a reliable information platform throughout the transformation.

According to the press release, a merger of this magnitude is not primarily about a new logo or a new website. What matters most is that people quickly understand who the new organization is, what services it offers, and where they can find reliable information.

Catherine Arber, Head of Communications at UPZ, says: «With diff., we had a hands-on, creative, and reliable partner by our side who understood both the strategic importance of the new brand identity and the requirements for a reliable information platform during the transformation. We were on a tight schedule—but diff. never lost its cool and never strayed from the path to our goal.»

The new brand identity lays the foundation for the further development of the UPZ brand and creates a common framework for communication regarding patient care, research, teaching, and employer branding. It highlights what the University Psychiatric Center Bern stands for: scientifically sound care, a human touch, and psychiatry that is deeply rooted in society.

For more information about the new brand identity, visit https://www.diff.ch

Person in charge at the University Psychiatric Center Bern (UPZ): Catherine Arber, Head of Communications. Branding, Corporate Design, and Website: Diff. Communication