The Power of a Well-Crafted Website for Life Sciences Companies
Building a Solid Foundation
When embarking on a website development project, it can be tempting to jump right into what many view as the most exciting part of the process: the visual design of the new site. To ensure you’re set up for success, consider these key questions before discussing design.
How do you define your corporate identity? While the mechanisms behind your science might be black and white, the way in which you communicate your mission, showcase your company culture and structure your overall messaging might feel a bit ambiguous. It’s critical to establish these elements of your corporate identity prior to the design of a new website; otherwise, it’s likely that it will feel disjointed and won’t be representative of your company and its values.
What does the timeline look like? We recommend that our clients target a launch date that’s in line with news announcements, data presentations at medical meetings or participation at investor conferences in an effort to fully capitalize on the launch and maximize website traffic. Before locking down the go-live date, take a look at your corporate communications calendar for the year to see when a website launch might be most impactful.
What are your goals for the new website? For early-stage biotech companies with a focus on fundraising, it will be important to design the website with investors in mind. Leveraging inspiring imagery and eye-catching colors is a great way to signal pipeline potential and pique investor interest. For commercial-stage companies or those with candidates advancing toward FDA approval, patient photos and stories should play a more active role in the website design.
Lessons in Successful Design
As you begin to brainstorm your likes and dislikes for your eventual website, it’s important to consider design preferences related to fonts and color palettes. Something as simple as introducing a bold new color or an impactful font can completely transform the feel of a website and breathe some new life into your brand.
MacDougall Vice President of Creative, Michelle Vaira, describes the power of effective website design: “When people visit a website, they want to feel a sense of enthusiasm from that first engagement with the brand. Our job as designers is to leverage bold colors, unique fonts and eye-catching animations that create enough visual interest for people to actually stop scrolling and engage with the page more deeply.”
However, a website with too many points of interest can become overstimulating, and there’s a fine line between showcasing the intricacies of your company’s science and overwhelming the website visitor with so many details that it muddies your key messages. As you’re likely gathering, many elements of website development are a balancing act, and it takes a special eye to create captivating designs that still show a level of restraint – enter our talented Creative Team!
Case Studies
What does a successful life sciences website actually look like? Michelle highlighted some recent examples of our Creative Team’s work below.
“For Azura’s website, I really loved that we were able to find connections between who they are as a company and what you’re seeing on the computer screen,” Michelle said. “The whimsical and inspiring designs definitely capture the energy of the team and how excited they are by their promising science.”
“When designing Corner’s Careers Page in particular, we played around with a bold and brilliant color palette and vibrant imagery to offset some of the softer hues used throughout the rest of the website,” said Michelle. “It translated into an energetic page that almost feels alive, and it definitely encourages excitement in any potential applicants looking to join the company.”
We Can Help Shape Your Story
Are you interested in revamping your corporate website? Download our Creative and Branding Overview or connect with our team of artists versed in visual storytelling for the life sciences and biotech industries to discover how we can help you take your website to the next level.