Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News Magazine
PMPN Article Index

Originally Published April 1998

CASE HISTORY

Packaging Design Firm Creates New Identity for Family of Pharmaceuticals

A new logo and a universal package design unite the individual product lines of three merged companies.

When the pharmaceutical divisions of Hoechst AG, Marion Merrill Dow, and Roussel Uclaf merged to become Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR; Bridgewater, NJ), HMR packaging engineers faced quite a challenge. They needed to create an effective logo that could be used on the packaging of all HMR products and provide a framework for the individual brands distributed worldwide. To ensure consistent use of the new logo and package design, HMR needed the appropriate tools for creating packages for new products or subsequent generations of existing ones. To design the logo and packaging, HMR hired Interbrand Gerstman+Meyers (New York City), a brand identity and packaging design firm.

Package designs and logos from each of the three premerger companies (top left) were replaced by a new logo and universal package design for use with all Hoechst Marion Roussel product lines.

"The challenge for us was how to create a corporate identity for packaging that would be adaptable across the world with varying package sizes and different languages and incorporate all the preexisting brand marks, cobranding requirements, and country-specific legal requirements," says Michael Lucas, Interbrand Gerstman+Meyers' executive vice president. Designers for Interbrand Gerstman+Meyers started by interviewing executives at HMR's headquarters to grasp the company's global perspective and executives at worldwide locations to understand regional perspectives. Designers then distributed questionnaires to employees and members of the medical community to determine their needs. They formed a global steering committee to address regional opinions, needs, and cultural issues.

The designers also analyzed the brand identities and packaging systems of the three premerger companies as well as overall global pharmaceutical and healthcare trends.

The new package design consists of rectangular elements representing the three companies that converge and move together upward and forward. An established color hierarchy, when used in conjunction with the graphics, differentiates dosage amounts between packages and enhances important package information. "Prior to the unified global identity, we had the look of many different companies. There was no common approach among the brands or graphic communications," says Martin Gekeler, HMR's director of marketing services. "We believe the new packaging reflects the innovative nature of our company—it creates a unique identity for the company while also allowing for individual brand identities."

To help HMR generate packaging for new products, Interbrand Gerstman+Meyers provided HMR with Brand Wizard software for automating the production of the logos. Users can select the appropriate media, language, and dimensions when creating packages, and templates ensure consistent use of the new graphics worldwide. HMR is phasing in the new packaging by using it first for new products.