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Since it was established in 1989 - after a report discovered that too many Londoners were dying of 'serious trauma' injuries - London's Air Ambulance (LAA) has flown more than 17,000 missions and responded to almost all major incidents in the capital, including the Paddington rail crash in 1999 and the terrorist attacks on the London Underground in 2005.

 But the service's charitable status has often been misunderstood by onlookers who wrongly conclude that it is fully funded by Virgin. Sir Richard Branson's conglomerate took over from original corporate sponsor Express Newspapers 10 years ago, since when its distinctive logo has been splashed across the helicopter's side. This has done little to distinguish LAA as a separate organisation that relies on funding from the government, corporate sponsors and public donations.

'We felt we needed to focus more attention on the fact that the LAA is a charity, and a new design will encourage people to take a fresh look at us,' explains Andrew Cameron, chief executive of the LAA.

In rebranding the organisation, Cameron hopes to raise the LAA's profile and boost public donations - which this year are expected to reach £750,000 - as well as secure the service's financial future. 'The new branding anticipates a move to a full 24/7 service,' he says. 'This is obviously costly, so we need to raise more money.'

The extended service will see rapid response cars patrolling throughout the night, when the helicopter cannot operate because of safety concerns.

The challenge for creative design consultancy Bite CP was to develop a logo that gave the charity a distinct identity without overshadowing its corporate sponsorship. 'The new design has to co-exist with the Virgin logo, so there was a need to avoid over-complicating things,' explains Mark Lappin, managing director at Bite CP. 'Simplicity is also important because the logo will be seen from some distance away - when the helicopter is flying through the air, it needs to grab attention.'

The LAA plans to extend its new logo across all aspects of its service. As well as appearing on its helicopter, it will feature on patrol cars and staff uniforms. This is in marked contrast to the existing logo, which never ventured further than the charity's press releases and internal correspondence material.

Cameron dismisses the suggestion that the government should stump up more cash to support services like the LAA. In fact, he sees public donations as vital to keep the LAA independent. 'Charities are set up for particular purposes,' he concludes. 'We don't want to be part of standards or waiting lists, which might happen if we were fully funded by the government. If you get run over by a truck tonight, we want to be there for you.'

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