PILLING WECK CASE STUDY

Specifications

SERVICE FEATURES:

General Branding
Design and Versioning
of Large Volume
Multi-Language Multi-Line Packaging
Instructions-for-Use Design
Product and Demonstrative Illustration

Services Used but not Featured:

Collateral and Promotion Design
Long Document Product Line Catalogues General Price List Design and Production
Sales and Presentation Development
Location Marketing and Signage

Company Profile:

Teleflex Medical - Pilling Weck

Pilling Weck has manufactured, marketed, warehoused, and distributed Surgical Products to Hospitals in the USA for more than 100 years.

Dexterity, Inc.

Dexterity® Pneumo Sleeve™ , is used in an alternative laparoscopic-assisted procedure.

CRITERIA:

Single and Multi-Language Packages: 175+ Each, Lid, Pack and Box
Instructions-for-Use Inserts and Booklets: 15+
On-Product Design and Labeling: 30+
Product and Demonstrative Illustration for General Use: 300+

RESULTS

Series of brand development and illustration projects that demonstrate Foundry Zero’s ability to consistently produce on-time, print-ready work over an extended period and a vast number of packaging styles, documents and products. Foundry Zero is experienced at understanding complex subjects and effectively relating materials in multi-language, scientific environments.

Overview

Foundry Zero (FZ) designer Daniel Gallant began an ongoing relationship with Pilling Weck within a year of the initial merger between two well-established surgical instrument companies: Pilling Surgical and Weck Closure Systems.

This would serve as the first proving ground for our recently formed agency. Foundry Zero’s extensive print design and production experience proved beneficial to handling various complex tasks that included: multiple languages, special materials handling and quantity distribution. In addition, FZ designed for the varying material types of the actual surgical instruments. It provided us with the opportunity to unite the importance of artistic concepts with product illustration in various instructions-for-use projects such as inserts and product brochures. Finally, it established the foundation for future projects that required applying consistent brand and structure.

Process

Packaging and On-Product Design

Though Pilling Weck’s German Pajunk product line would trump the Weck Skin Stapler line in sheer quantity of work (more than 90 Pajunk packages compared to 50 Skin Stapler packages), the Skin Stapler product line required creation of a sub-brand for its product and packaging. Therefore, our first step was to address the creative needs of the newly established EZ-Load. This product line included the applier, multiple staple sizes, and multiple levels of packaging and shipping materials.

The key to the creative system involved differentiating the various lines and sizes through a simplified color system. It also included designing unique but simple POP-style packaging that was small but noticeable among the plethora of shelved products. Finally, the system had to meet the requirements of four-language packaging. Once this was achieved, FZ tackled the visuals for sequential instructions. Using examples from the existing product lines, FZ evaluated and recast the instructions, optimized content and updated the design. Once all primary components were established, production of the many levels of packaging and inserts proceeded. The final stages repeated this process by updating the look and content of the remaining Atrauclip and Hemoclip product lines. It also included significant marketing and presentation-style design work. This project represented the first effort by Foundry Zero to handle end-to-end sub-branding requirements.

Instructions-for-Use Illustration and Document Series

The Dexterity Pnuemo Sleeve is a great example of working with a product manager from initial inception through technical evolution of a product. Shortly after the product split off as a separate company from Pilling Weck, general branding and production were also included. To begin, Dexterity required much of the same process outlined previously. Though, this project was unique in its complexity and depth of interaction with an ever-evolving product. Both packaging and the actual product components had to have aesthetic and instructional graphic design applied so that the process was intuitive during surgery. Since the product was a new procedure, instructions-for-use required site visits to photograph the product in use, followed by creation of a sequential process design that could be easily understood. Though all products required frequent updates, Dexterity needed intense re-evaluation and ongoing updates to both the product and instructions to meet interpretive and regulatory requirements.

Conclusions

The depth and experience gained with complex projects like these bolstered Foundry Zero’s experience and base understanding of how to systematically resolve the graphic requirements of an international medical product manufacturer like Pilling Weck. Foundry Zero earned client confidence to handle numerous product lines and spin-off companies such as Dexterity. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrated the importance of developing synergy between an internal marketing manager and a designer to create an effective on-time, results-oriented environment that can extend over many types of projects and years.

“It was critical to have vendors who had the ability to be flexible and enthusiastic about handling so much of our customer facing resources. Daniel Gallant had a great rapport with my marketing manager and product managers, and responded to the level of depth required to design and illustrate for our complex medical needs.”

— JOHN ICARDI, SENIOR MARKETING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, PILLING WECK