Before | After
Before | After
The background
Founded in May 2001, IPS Specials had grown from a small family concern to become one of the leading suppliers of unlicensed medicines (Specials) and hard to find or bespoke medical devices (Special obtains) to community pharmacies and hospitals in the UK.
Propelled by ambitions for significant growth, the leadership team had developed a two-pronged strategy. First, they intended to immediately diversify their service offer to include services to support clinical trials and in time they would also offer wholesale services for generics and parallel import pharmaceuticals. The second part of their strategy was to pursue geographic expansion across Europe.
The brief
To indicate the service diversification, the company intended to change its name to IPS Pharma. This provided an opportunity to develop a refreshed Brand Foundation that would act as a benchmark against which to measure both creative work and future business decisions. A new logo and visual identity had to communicate the new name and position the company as a professional and credible alternative to established and incumbent European competitors.
Similarly, the aging IPS Specials website had been subject to ad-hoc additions and provided a sub-standard user experience – there was no narrative flow, information was hard to find, page loading time was slow and the site was not responsive to different screen sizes. The new business strategy meant that the organisation had to more clearly articulate the full range of services it provided and how it addressed the needs of a wider range of audiences – eventually in multiple languages. The new website had to instil confidence in potential new clients without alienating existing ones by being more useful, more interesting and more engaging.
What we did
Competitor research
Logo and visual identity design
Image styling
Brand guidelines
Information architecture and UX design
Copywriting
Responsive web page visual design
Web development including bespoke functionality
Collaborator
Evil Donkey (additional web development)
The background
Founded in May 2001, IPS Specials had grown from a small family concern to become one of the leading suppliers of unlicensed medicines (Specials) and hard to find or bespoke medical devices (Special obtains) to community pharmacies and hospitals in the UK.
Propelled by ambitions for significant growth, the leadership team had developed a two-pronged strategy. First, they intended to immediately diversify their service offer to include services to support clinical trials and in time they would also offer wholesale services for generics and parallel import pharmaceuticals. The second part of their strategy was to pursue geographic expansion across Europe.
The brief
To indicate the service diversification, the company intended to change its name to IPS Pharma. This provided an opportunity to develop a refreshed Brand Foundation that would act as a benchmark against which to measure both creative work and future business decisions. A new logo and visual identity had to communicate the new name and position the company as a professional and credible alternative to established and incumbent European competitors.
Similarly, the aging IPS Specials website had been subject to ad-hoc additions and provided a sub-standard user experience – there was no narrative flow, information was hard to find, page loading time was slow and the site was not responsive to different screen sizes. The new business strategy meant that the organisation had to more clearly articulate the full range of services it provided and how it addressed the needs of a wider range of audiences – eventually in multiple languages. The new website had to instil confidence in potential new clients without alienating existing ones by being more useful, more interesting and more engaging.
What we did
Competitor research
Logo and visual identity design
Image styling
Brand guidelines
Information architecture and UX design
Copywriting
Responsive web page visual design
Web development including bespoke functionality
Collaborator
Evil Donkey (additional web development)
Indifference obliterated
“We’re all really pleased with the rebrand and website launch. The process driven approach to the project made it run smoothly – delivered within budget and on time – and our new visual identity really helps to set us apart from our competitors.”
Yasir Iftikhar – Marketing Manager
IPS Pharma
Indifference obliterated
“We’re all really pleased with the rebrand and website launch. The process driven approach to the project made it run smoothly – delivered within budget and on time – and our new visual identity really helps to set us apart from our competitors.”
Yasir Iftikhar – Marketing Manager
IPS Pharma
Exploring alternatives
We wanted the new IPS Pharma logo to make a strong and lasting first impression. We identified four key themes: dynamic precision, lab expertise, synthesis and logistics network and developed a range of alternative logos to express each theme.
Exploring alternatives
We wanted the new IPS Pharma logo to make a strong and lasting first impression. We identified four key themes: dynamic precision, lab expertise, synthesis and logistics network and developed a range of alternative logos to express each theme.
Developing a coherent visual identity
To show what the new brand world would look like, we expanded the visual vocabulary of the four preferred logos. Once the final option was chosen, we created a full set of visual assets and codified them into a set of guidelines.
Developing a coherent visual identity
To show what the new brand world would look like, we expanded the visual vocabulary of the four preferred logos. Once the final option was chosen, we created a full set of visual assets and codified them into a set of guidelines.
Building an intuitive website
A responsive website with well-organised content and intuitive navigation was important for delivering a high quality user experience. Therefore, we designed a structure that not only maintained the functionality existing users were used to, but also amplified the new story the company was trying to tell.
Putting the customer first
We crafted high quality copy that facilitated two engaging customer journeys. Firstly, a services route that described the new pharmaceutical services offered by IPS Pharma. Secondly, a customer-focused route that highlighted the benefits IPS Pharma can offer each target audience. These journeys delivered concise and relevant messaging that will resonate with target audiences both new and old.
Putting the customer first
We crafted high quality copy that facilitated two engaging customer journeys. Firstly, a services route that described the new pharmaceutical services offered by IPS Pharma. Secondly, a customer-focused route that highlighted the benefits IPS Pharma can offer each target audience. These journeys delivered concise and relevant messaging that will resonate with target audiences both new and old.
