An iconic design language for an injector range

Providing a unified look and feel across a range of injectors

Sensile Medical (now part of Gerresheimer), came to Team Consulting with a range of injection devices, including wearable and bolus injectors and a drug reconstitution device. Whilst each variant was based on the same core technology, the devices differed in form factor, construction and aesthetics. Sensile needed Team to help make this collection of products feel like a single, unified family.

After gaining an understanding of Sensile’s core brand values, the key attributes of their technology and aspirations for the project, we established a design language which we applied across the product range, including devices, packaging and product literature.

Drug delivery | Industrial design

Team fully incorporated what matters to Sensile and thanks to their long-term expertise, provided valuable ideas and solutions.
Sensile Medical, now part of Gerresheimer

ponyo-wearable-device-family-wear-example

Family feel

A set of rules were established for form, materials and construction which successfully tied together the full range of devices with their differing form factors and requirements.

Modularity

A clear visual split between the disposable and reusable components helps to emphasise the modularity of the system. Disposable modules are available for different primary packaging options whilst the reusable module comes with either an LCD screen or LED display.

Low-cost disposable

The design uses a combination of materials and surface finishes to communicate the difference in the value of the disposable and retained elements of the system. The disposable module uses a thinner wall section with ribs to utilise less material.

Customisable

The design allows a licensee to tune the look of the device to meet their brand requirements with the introduction of a customisable front panel which can be switched out during manufacturing. More drastic variations can be created by switching out the body moulding for a variety of different textures and button designs.

Our approach

We met with Sensile to try and better understand the technical, commercial, user and regulatory challenges, and to tease out elements of their core brand values that could inform the design language.

We explored a number of different approaches to the look and feel through the creation of block models, sketches and 3D renders, from which a single direction was selected. The chosen route was applied to each of the product variants and developed in 3D CAD working around the existing technical package.

The biggest challenge was to create a design language that was recognisably Sensile, while permitting different degrees of customisation for their clients.
Alex Driver, Head of Industrial Design, Team Consulting

Outcome

A unified family of products created from a coherent design language. Different product variants are clearly identified as a single family with key attributes of the Sensile technology – the flexible modular approach and low-cost disposable element.

The result was a distinctive design ‘DNA’ which reflects Sensile’s core brand values and communicates the key attributes of its technology. It can be applied across all current and future product offerings. Sensile returned to work with Team in 2019 with a request to apply the design language developed previously to an extra-small volume wearable injector.

The bespoke design created for Sensile Medical’s injector range went on to receive international acclaim with a Good Design award, which recognises innovative industrial design.