Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Are you keen on soft flowing images or prefer geometric shapes with sharp lines? Do you like muted tones or a vi- brant, bold approach? A good designer will ask plenty of questions to help them fully understand the way you would like your prac- tice to be perceived. They need to intuitively ‘get inside your head’ so the more infor- mation you share, the better it will be. The mental pic- tures a designer makes at this stage will be developed and crafted into the final presentation. Re-designing your brand image will not be a ‘quick fix’; it will take time, ef- fort and experience. Every practice is different and its brand is the face it presents and on which it is judged, positively or negatively. Many things need careful consideration such as your location, your target market and the services you provide. A dental practice in a rural area will have very differ- ent branding requirements from one in a city centre and a general family practice will have different needs from those of a specialist referral practice. The amalgamation of all these factors becomes the source of your unique brand. Turning your vision into a confident reality in 2012 will make your practice bright, fresh and inviting. Happy New Year. DT About the author Cathy Johnson spe- cialises in branding for dental practices and will design your practice im- age, stationery, welcome packs, referral packs, ex- ternal signage and website to raise the profile of your practice and attract the patients you are looking for. She also writes and produces a biannual patient newsletter, branded for you to send to your patients. Cathy’s success is built on more than 25 years of ex- perience as a graphic designer com- bined with in-depth understanding of the needs of the dental profession. She and her team are based in Lon- don and work with practices across the UK and abroad. Working with single practitioners through to large dental groups, all services are tailor-made to suit each individual practice. Cathy Johnson Design Tel: 020 7289 1215 cathy@cathyjohnsondesign.com www.cathyjohnsondesign.com 23Practice ManagementJanuary 16-22, 2012United Kingdom Edition Approximately 6,000 people in the UK annually are diagnosed with oral cancer - with an estimated 2,000 deaths every year (Source: British Dental Health Foundation, www.mouthcancer.org) Oral Cancer – prevention, examination, referral has been designed to support all health professionals by updating their knowledge, highlighting the importance of oral cancer screening, and providing practical tools for communicating with patients and colleagues The programme comprises four topics: 1: The facts - Providing a background into the incidence, causes and development of oral cancer 2: Team Approach - Looking at all aspects of communication both within the team and with patients 3: Screening Examination - Practical advice on improving the opportunistic screening procedure in practice 4: Case Studies - Providing first hand experiences of examining, making referrals and living with oral cancer For more information call us on 020 7400 8989 or log on to www.smile-on.com