MetaDesign’s San Francisco office developed the client’s bright new identity. The designers knew that the brand needed to be scientific but not clinical, personable but not chatty. Customers needed to feel that the client was trustworthy and approachable. Bold colour would help differentiate 23andMe from the starkness that pervades the visual landscape of health care and
pharmaceuticals. MetaDesign’s director of strategy, Sean Ketchem, explains the
final design and its many iterations.
“We based the logo on the idea of the human chromosome and the twenty-three chromosomes that inspired the company name. We created twenty-three unique versions of the identity using colour and layout variations that express how even small variations, such as that within your genes, can result in something unique,” he says. A single version is used consistently as a lockup with the company name, but the different colour and pattern variations can be used across applications to create variety in print pieces and on the Internet.
The forms in the logo represent chromosomes; their many and varied transparent colours show again and again the unique creations that new combinations form. Everyone—that is, everyone— is different. “The bright colours enliven the often intimidating complexities of personal genetics with personable, colourful forms, while the silver type expresses the scientific precision and rigour of the company,” Ketchem explains.
The main 23andMe logo creates a personable, approachable identity for a company that deals with very complex medical issues.
Say the words “personal genomics” to most people, and you’ll probably get a blank stare in return. But personal genomics is a mind-expanding and meaningful new field of genetic study that allows individuals to learn more about their personal genomes through an easy, noninvasive test so that they can make smarter life choices.
23andMe is a personal genomics company that was founded in 2007 to provide a simple service. Basically, a customer uses a spit kit to provide a DNA sample to the company, and 23andMe returns practical information that applies directly to that person’s life, hopefully, to improve it. The service is personable, scientific, bright, and slightly audacious: The company needed a brand identity that matched that personality. The identity also needed to explain visually what the company does.
The entire suite of 23andMe logos contains twenty-three variations, representing the contents of the human chromosome and the many differences among peoples.