Conran Design Group Launches Branding For Newly Merged Mylan and Upjohn Company, Viatris
Design and messaging confidently balance both the large scale and intimate focus of healthcare company’s new human-centered mission
In one of the biggest pharmaceutical deals of the year, Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn have merged into a new kind of healthcare company whose mission is to empower people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. Searching for a name and brand expression that honored their outstanding legacies while evolving with new needs and expectations, the companies turned to Conran Design Group U.S. to help launch Viatris, a company looking to set the highest standards for access, leadership, and partnership.
Working the brands’ teams and alongside Havas Life Metro, Conran consulted on the brand strategy and logo development as well as spearheaded key creative elements such as the color palettes, typeface, iconography, photography, graphic design and more. The visual identity for Viatris is grounded in warm, shifting gradients of purple — a color which marries the energy of red and stability of blue to bring wisdom, health, and harmony. This thematic approach also drove the photographic compositions which feature groups of people to signal comfort and support. The logo, a globe accompanied by three differentially-colored swirls, evoke the global reach and brand’s three core tenets: access, leadership, and partnership. Even the name itself, Viatris, derives from Latin, “Via” meaning path/way and “tris”, again symbolizing the three tenets.
“Establishing a brand that has to be accepted and celebrated by a merged leadership team, tens of thousands of employees, and the healthcare community on a global scale isn’t a simple task, but it’s a great ask,” says Conran Design Group U.S. Creative Director Ben Solomon. “We were most excited by the opportunity to apply our expertise beyond brand design and consult on activities like roll-out touchpoints and campaigns. To be able to help shape an identity that resonates with partners and customers as well as acts as a focal point and rally cry for employees is an artistically fulfilling experience.”
Headquartered in the U.S. along with global centers across Pittsburgh, Shanghai, and Hyderabad, India, Viatris will boast massive size and capabilities, necessitating close collaboration between teams and partners. Havas Life Metro helmed the corporate communications, messaging, and employee brand campaign while additional collaborators worked on other touchpoints, including Red Havas (social media strategy), Havas Media (paid search), and ekino (website design and development).
“Given the fast pace of the project, we not only worked in parallel with fellow Havas agencies, but we also worked hand in hand with the team at Mylan which was led by CEO Heather Bresch and CMO Deb O’Brien,” explains Conran Design Group U.S. Managing Director Christina Falzano. “The process was fast, iterative, and collaborative. We talked a lot about scale, specifically balancing the worldwide reach with the more personal, humanized aspects of the new identity. The final result is a functional and globally deployable system that seamlessly blends the unique stories of each brand together.”
Ultimately, this major launch not only seamlessly integrated message and mission, but also gave Conran the opportunity to leverage its expertise in naming, brand strategy, and brand design. “It’s rare for two companies of such scale to merge without retaining any of the visual or verbal equities from either corporate brand,” continues Falzano. “The leaders from Mylan and Upjohn were committed to creating something completely new that represented the best of what each company had to offer — a single, confident entity that was more than the sum of its parts. That drive inspired us to do the same, really showcasing our expertise as designers and brand consultants. We’re incredibly honored to be part of this brand’s development.”
Founded by renowned designer Sir Terence Conran, Conran Design Group U.S. is a design-led branding agency that believes in the power of well-designed brands to move people, shape culture, and help businesses thrive.