problem statement
Crinetics—a clinical stage pharmaceutical startup focusing on endocrine diseases—needed to differentiate itself in a competitive biotech market, raise investment capital, establish vertical partnerships, recruit quality candidates and educate the public about upcoming trials and milestones.
Time frame: 10 weeks
My roles: Creative Direction, UI, UX, Illustration
Partners: Little Dog Communications (content & strategy), EPIC (photography), Reliable (code)
HIGH LEVEL SOLUTION & RESULTS
Successful launch of clinical-stage website (Active: 2016-2018)
100% growth in site traffic (2018 vs 2015)
$40M Series A (2016)
$63.5M Series B (2018)
$117M IPO (2018)
We wanted to demonstrate Crinetics' deep scientific understanding and commitment to perfecting the science first and foremost.
1) Discovery phase
During initial interviews with Crinetics' scientific and business teams, we identified two key communication challenges given the website's two core audiences:
A) Investors - How Might We build credibility with investors by demonstrating the company's unique value proposition in a crowded biotech space?
B) Scientists & Scientific Audiences - How Might We dig into the complexity of the technology in an age of flashy headlines and seconds-long sound bites?
At our core, Crinetics is committed to a deep scientific understanding and to perfecting the science first and foremost.
- crinetics scientist
2) information architechure & UX
After completing a competitive analysis of similarly-staged pharma and biotech companies, I mapped out a straightforward seven page framework including specific pages explaining the science and its therapeutic applications.
Wireframing
A low fidelity mockup exploring the homepage 'Z' pattern.
3) visual storytelling & UI
For the visual design and ui, I wanted to illustrate the technology's strong scientific foundation by evoking visuals of what we think of as traditional scientific illustration. I looked to the drawings of 1800's naturalists like Darwin and Humboldt for inspiration. Our goal with this style of visual storytelling was to speak to the academically-rooted and strong scientific foundation of the technology.
Visual Concept
I looked to the drawings of 1800's naturalists to inspire illustrated design elements.
I used a combination of hand, digital and photo illustration techniques, plus a few stylized stock graphics to preserve the budget where possible.
color palette
I kept the color palette minimal with traditional neutrals and a modern green accent.
4) conclusion & reflections
In 10 weeks, we shipped a clinical stage website that led the company through to its IPO two years later, was used to secure Series A ($40M) and Series B ($62.5M) rounds of funding, aided in recruiting top talent and delivered company press and media releases to scientific and public audiences.
