The Cigna logo reflects the company’s commitment to customer health and prosperity. The company confidently cares for the insured’s future. The emblem shows how each contribution gradually forms an abundant crown of a happy future.
Cigna: Brand overview
The Insurance Company of North America (INA) was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1792 as the first marine insurance firm in the United States. Its mission was to protect merchant ships and their cargo, supporting the growth of American maritime commerce by ensuring the expanding merchant fleet.
In 1865, INA expanded internationally, becoming the first American insurance company to open a European representative office. Over the following decades, the company introduced new insurance products and diversified its operations.
Meanwhile, in 1819, the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CG) was established in Hartford, Connecticut. Specializing in life insurance, the company quickly earned a reputation as a reliable underwriter. Throughout the 19th century, CG grew and solidified its position in the life insurance industry.
Cigna Corporation was formed in 1982 through the merger of INA and CG. This merger combined the expertise of two of America’s oldest insurance companies, creating a strong organization that offers a wide range of insurance services.
In the 1990s, the corporation focused on shaping the future of health management and medical insurance, making substantial investments in developing medical care management systems and technologies. In 1997, its acquisition of Healthsource Inc. strengthened its presence in the health insurance market.
The company reorganized in the early 2000s, concentrating on health insurance and related services. In 2004, it sold its pension business to Prudential Financial to concentrate resources on core sectors.
In 2008, the organization began expanding internationally, significantly increasing its presence in Asia, particularly in South Korea and China.
In 2011, it acquired HealthSpring for $3.8 billion, expanding its client base and reinforcing its position in the Medicare Advantage market.
In 2015, QualCare Alliance Networks’ acquisition marked another key moment, strengthening its position in New Jersey’s health insurance market.
In 2018, the company announced its largest transaction to date: the $67 billion purchase of Express Scripts. This acquisition was finalized in December and transformed into an integrated pharmaceutical benefit management and healthcare organization.
From 2019 to 2023, the focus was on investing in telemedicine and digital technologies, addressing clients’ evolving needs, and expanding services.
By 2023, the corporation had grown into one of the world’s largest healthcare providers, serving millions of clients worldwide. Its ongoing evolution reflects an ability to adapt to changes in the insurance and healthcare industries.
Over its more than 200-year history, it has evolved from a marine insurance company into a global healthcare organization focusing on reliability, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
Meaning and History
Cigna was founded based on two companies that appeared much earlier: the INA Corporation and the General Life Insurance Company. The former was founded in 1792 and the latter in 1865. They merged in 1982 and came up with a name for their union using the letters CG (Company General) and INA. Apart from the name, no identity element indicates Cigna’s origins as the company looks to the future and strives to create an image of a progressive insurer. It changed the logo only to keep customers guessing about its wide range of services.
What is Cigna?
This insurance company provides many services to protect people’s health and lives. It cares for residents of the United States and strives to make healthcare accessible. The company offers insurance plans covering outpatient and inpatient treatment, dental services, and numerous medical procedures. The company has a dedicated division focused on international health insurance to fulfill its mission further.
1982 – 1993
As a result of close cooperation between CG and INA, a new company, Cigna, was born. Its predecessors used different emblems, but the merger led them to abandon their visual identity. It was decided to create a logo consisting of a white company name against a black rectangle. Below the lettering was a long horizontal line. All the letters were bold, and the capital letters “N” and “A” merged at the bottom corner.
1993 – 2011
Cigna was concerned about how its customers perceived it. After all, the strict corporate logo didn’t reflect the full range of services that had expanded over the ten years it had been in business. The insurance company turned to Leader Creative for help in rebranding and, together with them, surveyed hundreds of respondents in different cities. As it turned out, almost no one knew what Cigna did and thought its logo was bureaucratic.
The designers of Leader Creative began experimenting with the logo. Still, the initial variants with the retention of the rectangle and the inscription did not work, as their meaning was not obvious. Then, the corporation decided to make a global change: it completely abandoned the old trademark and chose a symbol known as the Tree of Life. Leader Creative specialists also suggested this option. They tried to convey the idea of stability, strength, and growth, and the tree was ideally suited for this role. The inspiration for the artists was the pattern found on an old New England quilt, a relic of the XVIII century.
The Tree of Life consisted of white stripes, circles, and pointed ellipses. Negative space inside an uneven turquoise square formed the trunk, branches, fruit, and leaves. Below that was the gray brand name. All letters were capitalized, but the first “C” was larger than the rest.
2011 – 2023
In 2011, Cigna completely revamped its logo, updating the version that had been in use for 18 years. The new design focused on a person as the central element, representing all the company’s clients. This collective image symbolizes individuals who utilize personalized insurance services. The head is depicted as an orange circle, symbolizing energy, activity, and vibrancy, reflecting a personal approach to each client’s needs.
The figure is stylized as a tree, with the torso represented by a blue trunk and uplifted arms seamlessly transitioning into a green canopy. The image emphasizes growth, stability, and care for health. Adding ground at the base of the logo reinforces associations with confidence and stability, which were absent in the previous design.
The “Cigna” wordmark also changed. The letters became smoother and more rounded, reflecting the brand’s intent to be closer to its customers. All letters, except the first, are in lowercase, imparting simplicity and accessibility, making the logo friendly and modern.
The color palette includes green, blue, and orange. Green is associated with nature and health care, blue with trust and professionalism, and orange adds energy and warmth. These colors express the company’s core values: care for people, health, and well-being.
2023 – today
In 2023, Cigna Corporation was renamed Cigna Group. At the same time, it underwent a major restructuring and formed two divisions, Evernorth Health Services and Cigna Healthcare. Another surprise was the change in the so-called “Tree of Life,” an iconic symbol based on an 18th-century drawing. Now, the plant, symbolizing energy and stability, is not a separate but an integral part of the inscription. Designers drew attention to the green crown, depicting a lush fan of leaves of different sizes.
The emblem of Cigna Healthcare, a company providing medical services, contains the brand name typed in lowercase letters of bright blue color. The first word is the largest – it takes up almost the entire space. The bold letters with rectangular serifs look massive, but the smooth, rounded shapes offset this. Above the letter “i,” there is an arch of green leaves, which makes it visually similar to a tree – a symbol of health. In addition, the glyph represents a person: the circle looks like a head, the vertical stripe looks like a torso, and the top two serifs look like arms. This shows support for all customers.
The word “healthcare” is reduced and placed in the bottom corner with proper alignment. It is in a completely different font: strict, businesslike, and concise. It has no serifs and is roughly similar to Trueno Rg from Cannot Into Space Fonts. The two parts of the lettering are united only by the same blue color.
Font and Colors
The tree motif was retained because it perfectly expresses the essence of an insurance company striving for growth and stability. However, the name “Tree of Life” is better suited in the modern version, as the plant has become truly animate. The human figure in the center demonstrates the company’s friendly stance and shows that Cigna is committed to caring for people.
According to Lyndon Leader’s original idea, the tree represents vitality and diversity. It provides shelter, grows constantly, and maintains a sense of security. Its roots are associated with strong connections. The Tree of Life is a well-known cultural and biblical symbol, enhancing Cigna’s image as an insurance company in various fields, including health care.
The wordmark features unique typography created specifically for Cigna. The lettering is in a bold sans-serif font with neat rounding, radically different from the font used in the previous logo, which was sharp-angled, angular, and had long serifs.
The color scheme has also changed noticeably. Lyndon Leader chose a dark shade of turquoise as a base because he did not want green to be associated with a plant nursery. Modern designers did not care about this issue: they combined green (#56B948), orange (#F8971F), and blue (#0982C6), believing that the brighter the emblem, the better.