If you are reading this blog then you are probably frustrated with Pharma marketing. Below we break down some of the common issues regarding visual media and the Pharma Industry.

When it comes to pharma, Regulatory approvals is one of the things people dread. It holds up schedules, adds to budget, and can sometimes kill a project. With so many stake holders and so much at stake, it is easy to give up hope.

Art by Committee

When it comes to pharma, artistic style choices have to go. While it is frustrating to do this there are reasons for it. Stylizing chronic conditions more often than not dehumanizes health related issues.

Representing the Patient

The purpose of art is to convey emotional intelligence. Art is emotional by nature. In the pharma arena when artistic choices are made they can often strike the wrong tone. The main pitfall lies in representing the patient. Patients are either drawn too cute which trivializes the patient’s condition or too dark which over dramatizies their condition. Because heathcare is so sensitive, often a scientific emotionally even tone is the right tone to strike. That is why patients should be represented either as realistic human people or as simple human characters. To see a breakdown of representing characters visit “How to pick a cartoon drawing style.”

Avoiding Pharma Pitfalls AND Being Artistically Cutting Edge

As mentioned above, the patient should be represented in a human way by using photos of patients or filming them. However, photos and film of patients have existed in pharma for decades. Thanks to advancing technology, illustration, animation, and special effects can be created on a budget and in many ways are cheaper than using film or photography. Animation software also allows for 

greater flexibility when dealing with regulatory or bureaucratic issues.

But the greatest added bonus is animation's ability to add special effects and a bit of magic to any pharma issue. Animation is the best solution today for the hurdles of representing pharma in visual media.

Pharma Concepts - The Exception

There are two exceptions to representing patients in a human way. One is overarching pharma concepts and the other is pharma diagrams. If an issue affects hundred or thousands of people it’s best to address patients conceptually rather than as specific individuals. In this instance, it’s best to use a style of animation called an infographic. Infographics have been popular since 2000. This style of animation uses plain figures of patients instead of a character. Similarly, concepts like timelines, cycles, and fields or areas are often best explained using a diagram.