The Inviting Fruit

The first appearance of the proverbial ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, in a slightly different form, was in the February 1866 issue of Notes and Queries in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The original is: ‘Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.’

Over the last 150 years, the saying has spread around the world. People regard the fruit as synonymous with good health, which is true to a certain extent according to medical research. That is also why the Centre for Nutritional Studies (CNS) at CUHK chose it as the design concept of its logo.

The centre was established in 1997 to promote nutrition research locally and enhance awareness of the importance of nutrition among healthcare workers and the public. Research findings are applied to daily life including weight management and nutritional advice to prevent chronic diseases. For example, the centre developed the territory’s first weight management mobile App—‘My Wellness Tracker HK’—in 2013 for free download.

The logo was the collective effort of the staff of CNS. With the apple as the central concept, the team then came up with the idea using the centre’s abbreviation—CNS—and a leaf to outline the shape of an apple. The ‘C’ is in red, i.e., the colour of apple. The ‘N’ and ‘S’ are in eye-catching green and orange, respectively. The logo not only looks energized but also subtly suggests eating coloured food for better health. The Chinese and English names of the centre are arranged around the ‘apple’ making it look like a seal of approval. ‘The logo is simple and clearly conveys the message we wish to spread, i.e., eating right, eating healthy,’ said Prof. Sea Man-mei Mandy, centre manager of CNS.

This article was originally published in No. 499, Newsletter in Jun 2017.

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Centre for Nutritional Studies The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care brand Mandy Sea