WOMEN | Bayer: A Transformative New Women’s Health Brand
A Beacon for Health
German pharmaceutical and life science company Bayer AG has launched WOMEN | Bayer – a transformative new women’s health brand. Created to "dispel myths and misconceptions, simplify complexities, research in the unknown, and cast a light on the overlooked and misunderstood," WOMEN | Bayer is a brand of action with ambitions to close the gender health gap.
Designing a New Identity
The new identity was created by award-winning global brand design agency Design Bridge and Partners. The design process began by dissecting the gender health gap. "Women receive healthcare in a man’s world, a world filled with taboos, misconceptions, and shame due to huge gaps in research, data, information, care, and trust," reveals Katherina Tudball, senior creative director at Design Bridge and Partners. "Half the world’s population – from every walk and stage of life – feel ignored by medical professionals and are all united by what is missing. So, we set about exploring ways to visualise the gaps."
The Logo
Central to the brand identity is its logo, which embraces the iconic ‘Bayer Cross’, widely regarded as "a beacon for health." Katherina tells Creative Bloq "The logo itself has been lighting up the sky in Bayer’s hometown in Germany for over 90 years in the form of a huge, illuminated sign. The ‘Leverkusen Bayer Cross’ is 51 meters in diameter, making it the biggest trademark in the world."
Enlightenment
The design is informed by the motif of ‘enlightenment’, which appears in the ‘O’ of the new logo. "A subtle glow on the edge of the ring nods to the concept of enlightenment and is echoed in glowing graphic devices, bespoke typographic assets, and illuminating motion behaviors," Katherina says. "Overall, the identity uses the visual language of light across graphics, animation, and photography. Highlighting bright, positive solutions as well as exposing the shadowy gaps and problems."
Color Palette
At one stage, the design team experimented with a lot of different color palettes before finally settling on the right balance of depth and optimism. The final gradient color palette of purples and golds avoids stereotypically gendered tones and "Once all the elements fell into place conceptually, the design itself flowed quite naturally as we had a very single-minded point of focus," she adds.
Conclusion
WOMEN | Bayer is a brand that is not only visually striking but also has a deep sense of purpose. The design team’s commitment to creating a brand that is both informative and empowering is evident throughout the identity. As Katherina Tudball reflects, "Working on WOMEN | Bayer has really highlighted to me just how little we, as women, understand our own bodies and how badly we are being let down by institutionally sexist healthcare systems and norms."
FAQs
Q: What is the purpose of WOMEN | Bayer?
A: WOMEN | Bayer is a brand that aims to dispel myths and misconceptions, simplify complexities, research in the unknown, and cast a light on the overlooked and misunderstood.
Q: Who designed the WOMEN | Bayer brand identity?
A: The brand identity was created by award-winning global brand design agency Design Bridge and Partners.
Q: What is the significance of the Bayer Cross in the logo?
A: The Bayer Cross is a beacon for health and has been lighting up the sky in Bayer’s hometown in Germany for over 90 years.
Q: What is the color palette of the WOMEN | Bayer brand?
A: The final gradient color palette of purples and golds avoids stereotypically gendered tones and provides a balance of depth and optimism.
