The Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub is a multi-million pound research centre based in Scotland. The research team asked us to design a new identity and develop a website to communicate their work to fellow researchers and the wider public. 

Identity design

We used a discovery workshop and ongoing iterative design development to understand the team‘s hopes and concerns, identify key opportunities and develop a new identity that positioned the centre as a creative space in which researchers have the time and environment to make cutting edge scientific and healthcare discoveries. 

Design inspiration came from a recognition of the global nature of their work, their detailed knowledge of genetics and the networks that exist both at a molecular level and through their rich scientific network. 

We became interested in the end view of DNA rather than the traditional double helix image and used this as the basis for a new identity. The centre of the identity is the ‘space’ for creative curiosity and cutting edge science while the surrounding arms symbolise the global network, their ambition and the ways that they empower their team to explore diverse avenues and connections.

Illustrations and iconography

Our identity included developing detailed designs for illustrations and iconography to support the Hub‘s strategy and communicate more complex scientific research in a ‘creatively curious’ ways.

Through detailed research and conversation we helped the team to clarify their purpose, vision, culture and values and connected these to their ongoing missions and projects.

Website design and build

We developed detailed designs for the website. The centre’s lead researcher is a keen developer, which led to us using a code base called Jekyll. This allows the whole site to be delivered through ‘static’ pages that can be written and maintained in plain text rather than via a server based language like PHP, which systems like Wordpress use.

The key advantages for the client are that it runs more quickly, is more scalable and has fewer security concerns.

The GenOMICC study

We have also worked with members of the team on one of their core projects called GenOMICC to develop an animation to help their researchers communicate their work to a wider public audience.

To find out more about our approach to science and health related communications please do get in touch.