Published: September 19, 2019

Bringing it all together: This is who we are, and “We Are One”

The AAO-HNS/F’s vision is to be the global leader in optimizing quality ear, nose, and throat patient care. Through a focused mission, we help our members achieve excellence and provide the best ear, nose, and throat care through professional and public education, research, health policy, and advocacy.


The AAO-HNS/F’s vision is to be the global leader in optimizing quality ear, nose, and throat patient care. Through a focused mission, we help our members achieve excellence and provide the best ear, nose, and throat care through professional and public education, research, health policy, and advocacy. Every program and initiative have this vision and mission in mind. They guide the course of the AAO-HNS/F in achieving excellence and success for our members and their patients.

We Are One

This is not only demonstrated by the breadth of our programs and the reach of our advocacy and health policy initiatives, but it is also a visual message that is transmitted through the logos that represent the AAO-HNS/F programs. Our identity as a specialty society is emphatically present with thoughtful design elements and techniques that paint a picture of our values as a collective unit of dedicated individuals coming together in the name of patient care.

It all starts with our signature “We Are One: Otolaryngology United for Patient Care” logo. This is our core visual identity with everything else rooted in its meaning.

The design takes the shape of the “O” that starts “otolaryngology,” while the multiple colors suggest its multiple subspecialties and their societies; the cultural and demographic diversity of our members and their patients; the global nature of our specialty; our many different practice settings, including both academic and private, rural and urban, domestic and international; and the collaborative interactions we share with the entire healthcare community. The intertwining design accentuates these properties. The circular nature of the design represents our continuing bond with our patients, the global nature of our organization, and the equality of all members of the team and patients they serve.

This iconic logo and its meaningful design and color choices are carried through all other Academy and Foundation programs. It is essential that all graphics representing us reinforce our ongoing efforts to foster synergistic partnerships with international colleagues, specialty societies, allied health providers, and strategic partners. Every new graphic design project is aligned with the AAO-HNS/F vision and approached with our commitment to inclusivity at all levels.

Most recently, the new education and AAO-HNSF 2020 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience logos have joined our fleet, alongside Reg-ent, ENThealth, ENTConnect, and others. The newly designed education logos with OTO Logic replacing AcademyU and FLEX replacing Home Study Course are representative of the education and research needs of our members—providing them education when they want it and where they want it. The 2020 Annual Meeting logo is full of thought and purpose as the AAO-HNSF focuses on “Bringing Together the World of Otolaryngology,” not just during the meeting but through all our programs and initiatives. The balloon represents the global journey the specialty takes as one, where we are unified together in flight with no boundaries impeding our path forward.

Just as key statements and words describe our desired future, so do the graphics and logos that have come to represent us. From our “We Are One” initiative and our clinical data registry, Reg-entSM, to our award-winning patient-focused website, ENTHealth.org, and the upcoming launch of our reimagined education program, these logos become the face of the organization and individual programs. Our graphics design team, led by Ross Rollins, Director of Creative Services and Digital Communications, with Jackie Cole, Senior Graphic Designer, and Jessica Ankle, Graphic Design Specialist, has done an incredible job translating our principles, products, and concepts into tangible icons depicting us to the world. These graphics and logos are just a few examples of the creative work they have done to produce the ideal visuals that symbolize our message and mission. I want to thank them for working so diligently to ensure that the identity of the AAO-HNS/F is represented in a simple, clean, and contemporary style with great meaning and introspection.


More from October 2019 – Vol. 38, No. 9