Visit a biotech website or explore its marketing materials, and you’re likely to encounter some familiar graphic design tricks: Abstract double helixes and molecules (as illustrated above). Test tubes, stethoscopes, lab coats, transparent monitors that look straight out of “Minority Report.” Patients who look fully made up and thrilled to be hospitalized. Responsible blues and crisp whites.
While these elements can work as shorthand for products or services that can be hard to visualize or depict, relying on them means missing critical opportunities to communicate what actually matters: your scientific approach, your deep understanding of specific therapeutic areas, your connection to patient communities and your innovative solutions. When you default to visual cliches, you miss opportunities to tell your brand’s story.
Standing out strategically: communicating purpose through imagery.
Every biotech company has a distinct mission, whether it’s developing breakthrough therapeutics, creating innovative diagnostic tools or advancing research technologies. The key is asking the right questions before making visual decisions.
Key questions when selecting biotech imagery.
- What specific conditions or diseases do we address?
- Who are our end patients, and in what settings do they receive care?
- What parts of the body or biological systems are we targeting?
- What makes our therapeutic approach unique?
- What is life really like for patients and providers?
- How do our solutions impact daily life for patients and professional life for providers?
Answering the questions above and finding thoughtfully considered, creative and specific ways to show those answers will give all audiences a better idea of who you serve, how you serve them and why you do it. In fact, this exercise is fundamental to your business, not just your brand.
But we must acknowledge accessing and selecting the right imagery can be tricky in this space. Custom photography, particularly of patients, can be complex and costly, pushing many organizations toward stock imagery.
There’s also the delicate balance of tone: While you want to convey hope and scientific progress, overly optimistic visuals can feel inauthentic to patients and healthcare providers dealing with health conditions and treatment.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you’re limited to the same imagery everyone else uses in the exact same way. Creative solutions exist that can help balance practical limitations with meaningful visual storytelling.
Making it work: smart solutions for real-world biotech challenges.
- Partner with patient advocacy groups who may have pre-approved image libraries.
- Consider illustration or animation when photography isn’t feasible.
- Focus on lifestyle moments and settings rather than direct medical situations.
- Show support systems and care environments rather than just individual patients.
- Use abstract or symbolic imagery thoughtfully — not as a default but as a conscious and ownable choice.
- Consider a graphic device that will serve as an identifier and differentiator.
- When stock imagery is necessary, customize it through thoughtful editing, composition and framing.
The goal is to come up with creative solutions that are practical for your business without falling back on standard visuals used in unexamined ways.
Digital-first biotech graphic design: where most encounters happen.
Your website and digital channels are often the first — and sometimes only — way stakeholders experience your biotech brand. That’s why elements of digital design should be considered first and foremost.
This opens up a world of possibility. Movement and interaction can bring otherwise flat biotech visuals to life. Animation can help explain complex processes or treatment journeys in ways static images never could. Just resist the urge to add motion just because you can. Every animated element should serve a clear purpose in telling your biotech brand’s story.
Also, remember that your brand needs to work everywhere. That striking homepage visual might look amazing on a 27-inch monitor, but what happens when it’s squeezed onto a phone screen? Make sure your visual elements maintain their impact across devices.
Effective biotech visuals should work not just everywhere but for everyone. That means considering color contrast for readability, providing alternatives to visual content and ensuring your brand remains clear and compelling regardless of the devices through which people experience it.
The deep blue sea: rethinking biotech’s color palette & usage.
You can picture it. From corporate websites to conference booths, a familiar color scheme emerges in biotech graphic design: deep blues conveying authority, sterile whites suggesting laboratory precision and cautious splashes of color nodding to innovation. While these choices aren’t inherently wrong — blue does convey trust and professionalism — when used in overdone ways, they become invisible to audiences.
The opportunity lies not just in choosing different colors but also in developing more sophisticated approaches to color usage.
What a more unique color palette can do for your biotech brand.
- Signal different therapeutic areas.
- Distinguish product lines.
- Guide users through digital experiences.
- Create clear information hierarchies.
By thinking strategically about color, rather than defaulting to category conventions, you can create visual systems that work harder for your biotech brand while maintaining professionalism. The same thoughtful approach applies to every aspect of your visual identity.
Building buy-in: a roadmap for evolving your biotech graphic design.
All that said, biotech brands often favor familiar visuals for some rather legitimate reasons.
Risk aversion runs deep in an industry where precision and reliability are paramount. Many companies fear that departing from established visual conventions might undermine their credibility with institutional investors and regulatory bodies.
While thoughtful color strategy, refreshed imagery and a digital-first mindset can help distinguish your biotech brand, implementing such changes requires careful consideration of stakeholder perspectives and industry expectations.
This brings us to a critical question: How do you begin to evolve your biotech brand’s visual system while bringing stakeholders along on the journey?
Whether you’re planning a complete brand overhaul or looking to make more measured updates, success depends on thoughtful planning and stakeholder alignment. For some biotech brands, a dramatic transformation might be exactly what’s needed to signal a new chapter. For others, the most effective approach may be evolutionary, building confidence through incremental changes over time.
Whatever your situation, here’s a practical approach to moving your biotech brand forward while bringing stakeholders along on the journey:
Brand audit & analysis.
- Document where your biotech brand follows category conventions, from imagery to color to typography.
- Map competitors’ visual territories.
- Identify quick wins versus long-term changes.
- Assess which scientific imagery truly adds value.
Brand implementation.
- Begin with secondary brand elements where there’s more freedom to experiment.
- Test new approaches with key audiences.
- Document the impact of changes on engagement and recognition.
- Build stakeholder confidence through measured success.
Moving toward a more memorable biotech brand.
The path forward isn’t about rejecting traditional biotech visual elements entirely. (DNA is, in fact, a double helix. A lot of doctors wear stethoscopes. You can’t and shouldn’t avoid the color blue.)
We’re also not suggesting making wildly dramatic changes just for the sake of it. (Serious medical materials shouldn’t feature wacky cartoon visuals.)
Instead, it’s about making purposeful decisions that better reflect your specific work, your distinct approach and the communities you serve. Whether through more creative imagery selection and use, sophisticated color systems or careful evolution of existing brand elements, there are always opportunities to tell your story more effectively.
Let’s elevate your biotech brand.
Looking to evolve your biotech brand through more differentiated graphic design? We can help you stand out while maintaining credibility in this complex space. Get in touch, or download our free biotech branding playbook for more tips and strategies.
