CVS Caremark wanted to put its money where its heart is. We helped the company evolve from “just another drugstore” to a full-service retail health partner that helps people on their path to better health.

CVS Caremark had grown from a small New England health-and-beauty enterprise to a Fortune 12 company that’s the largest pharmacy health services provider in America. But despite robust offerings, perception was tied to CVS’s most visible asset—retail pharmacies.

In a bold move to demonstrate its commitment to health, CVS announced its stores would stop selling cigarettes—an estimated $2 billion sacrifice. The company asked us to further promote this pledge to wellness by developing its new, inclusive brand as “CVS Health,” and create visual and verbal assets to distinguish it as a company that’s shaping the future of health care. Despite the loss of tobacco revenue, CVS Health increased year-over-year sales 5.5%.

CVS Health was given a fresh, inspiring brand story and architecture that united the company’s four business units. The new heart logo reflects the brand’s newly defined attitude (“Leading with heart”) and commitment to placing health at the heart of everything it does.

We referenced the teardrop from the old CVS Caremark design to create the heart logo, which retains the brand’s recognizable red shade. We designed the logo as a flexible graphic element that could act as, say, a pointer or bracket to emphasize important information. In addition, modern iconography and complementary illustrations lent a visual levity to the CVS Health brand and simplified complex ideas using a casual look and personal verbal style.

Using these cues, we presented CVS Health as the consumer’s true health partner, which served as the foundation for such initiatives as “Let’s quit together,” an effort that unified customers who kicked the smoking habit.

The CVS Health rebranding effort and bold anti-smoking stance have been a phenomenal success. The initiative made headlines on everything from local papers to national TV news programs, and drew praise from a wide array of health advocates, including First Lady Michelle Obama.

As the largest pharmacy health services provider in America, CVS was far from broke. The decision to rebrand by implementing a new brand identity program was a risky one. And it paid off, both figuratively and literally.

Despite sacrificing an estimated $2 billion in annual tobacco sales, CVS Health has enjoyed a 5.5% year-over-year bump in same-store sales along with a 22% increase in pharmacy-services revenue following the 2014 rebrand. The company’s stocks are also rising.

But the ultimate payback is CVS Health’s assurance that its newly articulated business strategy and message are in sync with its brand purpose—helping people on their better path to health.