# Healthcare marketing design: clear, calm and accessible [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/healthcare-marketing-design) People reading a clinic's posts may be worried, in pain or reading on a small screen with tired eyes. Design for that reader first and everything else gets easier. ## The short version - Healthcare marketing design should be clear, calm and accessible, because many readers are anxious, unwell, older or reading on a small screen. - WCAG asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, and healthcare graphics should meet it everywhere words appear. - Health tips carousels work best with one tip per slide, plain language and a final slide that tells people when to seek care. - Claims in healthcare marketing should describe what a treatment can help with, never promise cures or outcomes, and follow the rules of your professional regulator. - Never rely on colour alone to carry meaning, since a significant share of people have some form of colour vision deficiency. Good **healthcare marketing design** is clear, calm and accessible before it is anything else. The people reading a clinic's posts might be anxious about a symptom, in pain, older, or squinting at a phone in a waiting room. So the words must be plain, the contrast strong, the layout uncluttered and every claim careful. Get those right and a clinic's feed becomes something patients trust and share, rather than one more advert to scroll past. This guide covers palettes with real contrast numbers, carousels, sizes and the claims to avoid. ## What healthcare marketing design has to do - **Reassure.** A calm palette and plenty of space lower the temperature before anyone reads a word. - **Inform.** One clear message per graphic, in the words patients use, not clinical terms. - **Include.** Strong contrast, large type and captions, so older readers and people with low vision are not shut out. - **Stay careful.** Describe what you offer honestly, and leave diagnosis to appointments. Clinics, dental practices, physiotherapists, pharmacies and therapists all share these needs, with their own twists. [Dentist social media posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/dentist-social-media-posts) and [therapist social media](https://gradiently.design/guide/therapist-social-media) go deeper on two of them. ## Healthcare colour palettes with real contrast Healthcare often defaults to pale blue and white, which can feel clinical and often fails contrast tests when text is set in a mid blue. A calmer, more distinctive approach is a deep teal or ink for text and structure, a warm off white instead of stark white, and a softer accent used for shapes and highlights rather than for words. - Deep teal: #0f3d3e - Clinic teal: #0f766e - Soft mint: #5eead4 - Warm white: #f5f1ea - Ink blue: #1e3a5f A calm clinic palette. Deep teal and ink blue carry text; soft mint is for shapes and backgrounds, never small words. | Text on background | Contrast ratio | Use for | | --- | --- | --- | | Deep teal `#0f3d3e` on white | 11.95:1 | Any text, any size | | Ink blue `#1e3a5f` on warm white `#f5f1ea` | 10.22:1 | Any text, any size | | Clinic teal `#0f766e` on white | 5.47:1 | Body text and headings | | Clinic teal `#0f766e` on warm white | 4.86:1 | Body text, just above the minimum | | Teal `#14b8a6` on white | 2.49:1 | Shapes only, fails for text | | Soft mint `#5eead4` on white | 1.48:1 | Decoration only | Contrast ratios calculated with the WCAG formula. AA asks for 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; aim well above the minimum for an audience that includes older readers. Gradients and photos make contrast harder, because it changes across the image. Check the lightest point behind every line, not the average. WebAIM's [contrast checker](https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/) gives a quick answer, and [colour contrast and accessibility](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-contrast-accessibility) explains the rules in full. Gradiently helps here: a Mark calms itself behind the words, and Auto ink picks light or dark type for each line from the Mark's own palette, so a tip stays readable wherever it sits. Still check the result against the numbers above. ## How to design a health tips carousel Tips carousels earn saves and shares because they are useful without being a sales pitch. Keep each slide to one tip in plain language, use the same layout throughout, and always end with when to seek professional help. That last slide is both responsible and your gentlest call to action. 1. **Cover slide: the promise** "Five ways to protect your back at a desk." A number and a clear benefit. 2. **One tip per slide** A short headline and one or two sentences. If a tip needs a paragraph, it needs its own post. 3. **Plain words** "Stand up every half hour", not "reduce prolonged static loading". Write so a twelve year old could follow it. 4. **When to get help** The final slide lists the signs that mean booking an appointment or seeking urgent care, and how to book. A health tips carousel slide reading Stand up every half hour, tip 2 of 5, with a short reason underneath One tip, one sentence of reason, a slide number so readers know how far they are. A closing carousel slide headed When to see us, inviting readers to book if back pain is not easing or worries them The closing slide: when to book, written without alarm. Take the actual signs from your own clinicians, not from a template. [Tips carousels](https://gradiently.design/guide/tips-carousel) covers slide counts and covers in more detail. ## Healthcare marketing claims: what to avoid Healthcare advertising is regulated in many countries, and professional bodies often add their own rules. The details vary, so check the current guidance from your regulator before you publish, but a careful pattern holds almost everywhere: describe what a service can help with, avoid promises of outcomes, never use fear to sell, and do not imply that a social post replaces an assessment. ### Avoid - "Cures back pain for good" - "Guaranteed results in three sessions" - Before and after photos without consent or context - "Don't ignore this symptom, it could be serious" - Unnamed "studies show" claims ### Do - "Physiotherapy can help ease back pain" - "Most treatment plans start with an assessment" - Patient stories shared with written consent - "If you notice this, book a check, we're here" - Links to an official health service page > **Patient privacy comes first** Never post patient photos, names, stories or even a recognisable appointment detail without clear written consent. A friendly thank you message from a patient is still personal data. ## Accessible healthcare design beyond contrast - Set body text large: what feels big on a desktop is small on a phone held at arm's length. - Never rely on colour alone. Pair a red warning with an icon or a word, for readers with colour vision deficiency; see [colour blindness in design](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-blindness-design). - Write alt text for every image you post, describing what it shows and says. - Caption every video, since many people watch without sound and some cannot hear it. [Video captions design](https://gradiently.design/guide/video-captions-design) shows how. - Keep animations gentle and short, and never flash. ## Clinic social media and print sizes Local patients often find a clinic through Google, so Google Business posts matter as much as Instagram. Waiting rooms still need posters and leaflets too. - Instagram post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Facebook post 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200 - Google Business post 1200×900: 1200 × 900 - A4 poster 2480×3508: 2480 × 3508 - A5 leaflet 1748×2480: 1748 × 2480 Five sizes that cover a clinic's online and waiting room needs, to scale. The A4 and A5 sizes are at 300 dpi for print. [Google Business post size](https://gradiently.design/guide/google-business-post-size) has more on the Google format. Design a seasonal campaign, such as a flu jab reminder, once and resize it for each of these, rather than rebuilding it five times. It saves a practice manager hours and keeps the message identical everywhere it appears. ## FAQ ### What colours are best for healthcare marketing? Calm colours with strong contrast: a deep teal, ink blue or green for text, a warm off white background, and softer tints only for shapes and decoration. ### What contrast ratio do healthcare graphics need? WCAG AA asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. For an audience that includes older readers, aim well above the minimum. ### What should a clinic post on social media? Health tips carousels, staff introductions, opening hours and service updates, seasonal reminders and patient stories shared with written consent. ### Can healthcare providers make claims in social posts? Keep claims to what a service can help with, avoid promising outcomes and follow your country's advertising rules and your professional regulator's guidance. ### What size is a Google Business post? 1200×900 pixels, a 4:3 frame shown on your Google Business Profile.