GVK BIO was India’s second largest biopharmaceutical service provider. To mark its 20th year milestone and prepare for global expansion, the company decided to rebrand to Aragen Life Sciences. The exercise was carried out by Bengaluru-based TSK Design.
The Larger Industry Context
Indian biopharma companies like Aragen play a significant role in transforming global health.
India has the world’s largest talent pool of chemists working on drug discovery and development solutions. We are amongst the world’s biggest manufacturers of drug intermediates and products. In frontier biologics too, Indian companies are rising stars. Yet Indian biopharma companies tend to be perceived, and often position themselves, as no more than service providers to their global customers. They do not own an innovation mindset or take the high ground of ‘improving lives’ like their western counterparts.
The Strategy Behind the Rebrand
Tania Khosla, Founder, TSK Design says that overcoming that perception barrier was a key driver for the exercise – moving the brand’s image from ‘Indian service provider’ to ‘global solutions partner’; elevating its purpose from ‘accelerating R&D’ to ‘delivering better health’.
Aragen’s brand purpose was defined as ‘In every molecule is the possibility for better health.’ Its new brand promise is ‘Together Ahead.’
Anaheeta Pinto from Team TSK says that they did wonder if this articulation was too poetic, even esoteric, to resonate with serious scientists, but the client teams loved it.
The New Identity
Aragen’s brand mark was created by two intersecting circles (symbolic of Aragen and the customer) to create an ovoid that represents partnership. The ovoid was morphed and twisted to create an aerodynamic symbol that embodies Aragen’s brand promise, ‘Together Ahead.’
The brand mark is called AURA – an acronym for Aragen’s brand personality – Ambitious, Understated, Resilient and Agile
A seamless brand language has been created to extend the system to digital, print and environment.
You can watch the brand film for Aragen here.
