Starlab Corporate Identity

Design Statement

Our Creative Director Boris says:

Melting Experience created and realized a radical new brand identity for the company Starlab. Starlab specialises in Liquid Handling Technology and laboratory products. A new brand identity was needed in order to unify all of the company's products, sub-brands and activities. Based on a scientific approach to branding and design, we developed a bold, colorful, and illustrative brand identity, which clearly stands out in the white and sterile conformity of today's lab environment. Aimed towards the modern, educated researchers in the world's leading labs, Starlab now lives its claim "Passionate for science“ as much as they do.

Criteria

Idea

The challenge was to come up with a brand identity which expresses the inner values and soul of the company. Starlab as well as their clients are truly passionate for science and it was time for them to show it. As younger generations enter labs to join the noble mission to develop solutions that will change the world, they themselves and their passion should be celebrated. Now more than ever it has become clear how science can benefit humanity as a whole. The white and grey world of laboratory products and equipment does not do the young and passionate in the field of science justice.

Form

Science is colorful and full of possibilities. We want to honour all of the great scientists who do great work in the lab. The direct impact their work can have on our life can be seen in the case of COVID-19 vaccine development. Starlab have taken it upon themselves to express the diverse nature of their work and science as a whole throughout the new CI. We chose vivid, bold, color combinations as seen in research applications and combined them with our unique illustrations. While abstract, they are always connected to the specific product group and use case, and scream „liquid“ - Starlab’s core business - with every curve.

Function

Despite being as colourful as the rainbow across an endless amount of applications (Website, Social Media, Print, Ads, packaging, spatial installations), a clear design system of color combination, visible base grid, cheeky headlines, and vivid illustrations create a design language that is recognisable at a glance. Through consistant colorcoding, larger elements and the use of product renderings on the „shelf sides“ in case of the packaging, Starlab provides users with a whole new experience in the lab. Time is always of the essence in a lab environment and the faster the products are found, the sooner the science can continue.

Differentiation

For decades, lab products, their packaging, as well as their marketing have been white, functional, and sterile in appearance. B2C brands have, on the other hand, continued to set the bar high when it comes to their design. Starlab has set itself up as a brand for the future and in turn wants to inspire young and passionate scientists around the world that are used to a certain design standard. With their new CI, Starlab bring a happy and diverse, yet strong and scientific brand to labs around the world. Through this, Starlab will be recognised from the outside as the sustainable, modern and innovative brand that it has been for years.

Impact

The new brand identity has been making waves throughout the life-sciences industry, as it has set the bar high in terms of its consumer-oriented brand strategy. The fun yet professional approach is welcomed by scientists and the 300 Starlab employees because it is bringing back emotions to the cold and precise world of science. The new CI also expresses one of Starlabs most important values: sustainability. Reusable pipette tip packaging, recycled cardboard boxes and a radical shift towards digital media optimised for screens instead of print shows that Starlab is working their way towards their vision of a sustainable lab.