And as extraordinary as your science and innovation likely is, it won’t matter if no one knows you exist, if your brand doesn’t attract investors or create trust and credibility among your peers. Your biotech branding and messaging is directly linked to the success of your company. With the New Year upon us, now is a great time to take a closer look at your biotech branding and messaging.
A biotech company without branding and messaging that accurately reflects who they are, why their science and technology is important, and how they are different will get lost in a saturated biotech marketplace. It is just the cold, hard truth.
Biotech Branding that misses the mark
Clients often approach our digital agency with the initial need of a website redesign, but soon realize throughout the process that their biotech branding and messaging all together is missing the mark. This happens more often than you might think with growth companies, as it is a natural part of many biotechs’ evolution.
What I usually see are lackluster brands that at one point likely served the needs of the company as they were getting off the ground, but will not stand a chance in the current busy and competitive biotech landscape.
So, what exactly does biotech branding need to be successful?
When I work with clients to brand or rebrand their biotech company, I ask them to imagine their biotech company as a person. If your company was a living, breathing human being, how would they walk, how would they talk, what would they look like, what do they believe in?
This is your brand.
From there, we embark on a creative branding journey that involves a competitive analysis and exploration of core brand traits.
Five key elements every successful biotech brand needs
1.) Biotech Branding Basics: Naming your Biotech Company
The name of your biotech company is important, yes. It is perhaps the most nerve wrecking exercise and decision of them all. I try to help my clients understand the importance of a name, but also encourage them to not become paralyzed by it. There are many important elements of your brand and this is just one of them. Overall, there are a few directions a biotech company can go when it comes to choosing a name:
- Latin Root Words:
- This approach is most commonly used in pharmaceutical naming, but is widely used across industries. For example, the drug Paxil, which is an antidepressant and anti-anxiety drug, uses the Latin root word Pax = peace in Latin.
- Science Based:
- This is the most common approach for the biotech space. For example, Fibrobiologics, a company we recently helped launch their new website, discovered a fibroblast cell-based technology. Their name is a combination of two scientific words that together create a very successful company name.
- Imaginative:
- This approach is used across all industries and can be very successful and unique. For example, the name “Google” actually came from a graduate student at Stanford who suggested the word “googolplex” during a brainstorming session that was later shortened to “googol.” He accidentally searched for “google.com” instead of “googol.com” when researching if the domain was available. The team ultimately ended up liking the name Google better and that was how it came to be.
This approach to naming is wildly creative and untethered, so when I explore these types of words/phrases with clients we include how the sound and look of the word/words feel when spoken aloud or read in our decision making process. Sometimes artistic words or phrases have loftier creative meanings too that also make the name a good fit for a company.
2.) Logo
Your biotech company’s logo works seamlessly with your name. Successful logos range from simple, elegant typeface that beautifully illustrates just the name of your company or it can include an icon or mark. In the biotech space, this icon usually incorporates a single shape or combination of shapes.
This shape can be a part of the company’s name (oftentimes the icon is the first letter in the name or the last one) or it can stand alone next to the name in the logo lockup. Circular shapes that illustrate cells are often used, but the shape and design of your icon can be anything that is meaningful to your company and your technology. Many company’s across industries also use just the first letter in their name as their mark to create a very elevated, clean look.
3.) Your Company’s Tagline as a part of your Biotech Branding
Your biotech company’s tagline is the short, hard-hitting phrase that sits just beneath your logo. This line is one of your biotech’s most important messages, next to your name. It should compliment your biotech company name and project clearly your UVP (Unique Value Proposition).
Similar to a hard-hitting homepage with a hero message and image/animation that clearly explains who you are as a company, why you are important, and how you are different, your tagline needs to do the same. Like a stand-alone billboard, your tagline should be able to hold its own and introduce your company to the world.
4.) Choosing Colors (the brand palette) for Biotech Branding
Choosing colors or a brand palette that will help your biotech branding stand out in a crowd is important. Bright, vibrant colors are sweeping across the biotech landscape currently. This might be attributed to the desire to use some of these bright colors to illuminate very technical and scientific lab images.
The merging of science + art is a visual approach that many successful biotech companies are embracing because it showcases the beauty and uniqueness of their scientific innovations that can sometimes feel boring or drab. One client we recently helped launch their new biotech website asked our lead designer to create a watercolor of their cells in action for the hero space on their biotech website homepage.
The artistic blending of art + science, in addition to carrying these bright colors throughout their website created a stunning brand look and feel for Avencell.
Launching a startup biotech website: A complete guide from Seed to Series A
5.) Typography for your Biotech Brand
The type font your biotech company uses is just as important as the name, logo, tagline, and brand colors even though it might seem like a small nuance of your brand. Common fonts used in the biotech space include sans serif. The typography you choose plays a large part in your overall look and feel and is an important element to consider.
With these five key components of your biotech branding and messaging working hard for you, you will position your company for success. Our expert team of designers and writers have years of experience working with biotech companies who are looking to enhance their branding and messaging to attract investors, build credibility in their space, and stand out in a busy biotech marketplace.
