Giving people answers to personal health questions with new self-testing kit brand MyTest

Mylan are a highly respected global pharmaceutical company mostly known for manufacturing generic medicines. We were approached by the team in Ireland and France to create a new Europe wide product brand called MyTest. Available over the counter, the brand would consist of a wide range self testing kits which would enable people to test themselves for a variety conditions and get a discreet and rapid answer without the need to consult a doctor.

Pharmaceutical but not clinical

The design of brands and packaging within this industry frequently follow the conventions of pharmaceutical design. This is typically clinical, cold and functional where design rely on off-the-shelf typography and abstract styling within a nondescript idea. We believed there was an opportunity to create a brand which was far more expressive using a big idea that would connect MyTest with the emotions and thoughts of customers.

Finding answers to big questions

Regardless of what people are testing themselves for, the common thread was they all wanted to get a discreet answer to a very personal health question. This simple insight led to our creating the silhouette question mark icon which symbolises the question in the mind of the customer when seeking an effective self testing kit. The silhouette in the centre of the icon provides a softer human element. Additionally, as a universally understood symbol, the new icon would effectively translate easily across language barriers.

A question of impact and discretion

We carefully hand-drew the new icon and logotype to position the brand within pharmacy. To help customers navigate the products we devised a range of subtle gradient colour backgrounds contained within a lozenge. This provided a segmentation framework and gave the icon greater on-shelf impact. Our new brand design and packaging offered a distinctive face for those seeking an answer to their personal health questions.