On the pharmacy counter, a medicine box has a few seconds to be chosen.
Buyers read fast: what is this medicine for, how is it used, can it be trusted. Sinh Vũ helps the box answer all three without overstating what the product does.
Three things first: a box front that can be read in a few seconds, an easy-to-read leaflet, and a way for your range to be recognized on the counter. Those three decide whether a buyer picks your box or the one beside it.
The drug name, main use and dosage sit where the eye lands first.
Type large enough and ideas clearly separated, so even older adults can read it without glasses.
A shared frame so that boxes placed side by side are recognized as one maker.
All are over-the-counter drugs, but buyers and places of purchase differ, so the box has to speak differently.
Their customersBuyers shop while feeling unwell, and usually choose after a pharmacist's suggestion.
Brand challengeThe box front lets a tired person read quickly, and lets the pharmacist point out the product among a whole row of boxes.
Their customersBuyers go by habit, buy as the family always has, and often find them at grocery counters.
Brand challengeKeep the familiar look customers remember, but clean and clear enough not to be confused with look-alike labels.
Their customersBuyers need to know where to use it, for how long, and when to stop.
Brand challengeDirections and cautions must sit right on the box and tube, not hidden in a small folded leaflet.
These are the places where a drug often loses on the counter even when its ingredients and quality are as good as anyone's.
The colors and layout resemble a famous label, so buyers can easily mix them up and regulators can easily notice.
Find a distinct mark from the product's own story, then test the box beside same-type boxes on a real counter.
Start from this problemA tagline stronger than what the product is allowed to say, so it has to be corrected and reprinted.
Write a ready set of lines that stay within the permitted scope of use, so the designer doesn't have to invent copy.
Start from this problemAn older adult picks up the box, can't read it, and asks the pharmacist or puts it back.
Set a type hierarchy that accounts for weak eyesight: type size, contrast, line spacing.
Start from this problemPharmacists recommend out of habit, with no sheet to help them recall what sets your product apart.
A short kit for pharmacies: who the product is for, what makes it different, and lines a pharmacist can repeat.
Start from this problemAt the visit stage, meaning the moment of standing in front of the counter. Buyers decide in a few seconds, usually after a pharmacist's suggestion. A box that is hard to read or hard to tell apart gets passed over.
Touchpoints are the places where a buyer sees, touches or reads about the product. You don't need to do everything at once. These five touchpoints decide most of the impression.
It is the first thing buyers see and hold in their hands.
Buyers read closely here, especially the dosage and cautions.
They stay in the home the longest, so they must be clear and durable.
The place where your box stands beside other people's.
Pharmacists speak for the product just when a buyer is hesitating.
Listed in the order to do them. A single product can stop at step two; a whole range goes all the way.
Name, mark, color and type: the foundation for every box that follows.
Box, label and a shared frame for the whole product line.
A set of lines within the permitted scope of use, reused across every channel.
Short materials for pharmacists and pharmacies.
When the range grows: guidelines so a new box always stands beside the old ones.
Sinh Vũ has not published an over-the-counter drug project. The two projects below solve the two nearest problems: a medical mark that is easy to recognize yet distinct, and body-care packaging that doesn't overpromise.
Green Cross Medical carries the cross familiar to healthcare, and Sinh Vũ set it inside a heart to build a brand identity that could not be mistaken for anyone else's.
Keep the cross everyone can read, then set it inside a shape of its own: a way to make a medical mark without resembling anyone else.
Callidora, a skincare cosmetics brand, had Sinh Vũ build a feminine, premium identity system that keeps its promise of beauty from healthy skin from the very first glance.
Packaging, campaign imagery and POSM for body-care products that say just enough and don't overpromise.
The principles behind it
Color should help buyers tell uses apart and recognize your range. Avoid imitating a major brand's colors. Sinh Vũ tests colors beside real boxes on the counter before settling.
Leave room for the name, use, dosage, warnings and the information required by the rules on drug labeling. The exact list comes from your legal team or the person in charge of registration, and Sinh Vũ designs room for it from the start.
Use type larger than usual, separate ideas with clear headings, and put the dosage and cautions at the top. Have an older adult read it before printing.
Drop the layout and palette that major brands already use, and find a distinct detail from the product's own origin. Then place the box beside the major brand to see whether it still gets mixed up.
Change it step by step and keep what customers already recognize, such as the main color or the form of the name lettering. Changing everything at once can leave habitual buyers unable to find the box.
A few lines about the product, where it is sold and what is holding you back is enough. Sinh Vũ will read it and reply within one working day.