{"id":3513,"date":"2025-02-26T22:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T22:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/?p=3513"},"modified":"2025-03-28T19:03:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:03:07","slug":"cutting-edge-design-how-matter-is-making-med-tech-bold-and-impactful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/insights\/cutting-edge-design-how-matter-is-making-med-tech-bold-and-impactful\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting-Edge Design: How (matter) is making med-tech bold and impactful"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Healthcare expenditures in the U.S. reached $4.5 trillion in 2022<\/a>, and could reach $6.2 trillion by 2028. And within this colossal industry are yet more fast-growing sectors, not least of which is med-tech, a space that rewards precision, regulation, and innovation. But how do you translate complex surgical procedures, medical devices, and clinical advancements into compelling creative work? For designers and marketers, the challenge isn\u2019t just about aesthetics\u2014it\u2019s about making a true impact in a highly specialized and regulated field.<\/p>

Joel Warneke<\/strong> and Greg Fehrenbach<\/strong>, both principals at (matter) agency<\/strong>, have many years of experience navigating this complex landscape, bringing fresh perspectives and bold ideas to countless brands in the med-tech space. From their early days working with Ethicon to recent work designing hugely successful campaigns for innovative surgical devices, they\u2019ve learned how to balance creativity with compliance, push boundaries without overstepping, and transform even the most clinical concepts into engaging, meaningful brand experiences. Keep scrolling to read our conversation, then head over to the (matter) website<\/a> to see more recent work from across all industries.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How did you get started designing and developing creative work in the medical-tech space?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Joel:<\/strong> We got our start with Ethicon Endo-Surgery [now Ethicon]. It was technical and complicated, and we were trying to catch up\u2014understanding the technology, how the products were used, and the different kinds of procedures they were involved in. Coming from CPG brands, and then jumping into this new category was challenging, but also exciting. And they had big budgets, which made it even more exciting.<\/p>

From a creative standpoint, understanding the technology, procedures, and industry jargon was a major learning curve for us. But from a design perspective, we brought some fresh thinking simply because we didn\u2019t know any better. We didn\u2019t know what we didn\u2019t know, and that gave us the freedom to think differently and offer a fresh perspective.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Another big shift was the rigorous regulatory and compliance review process. That was new for us. On the consumer side, you have more latitude, but in the medical device space, you have to be really careful about what you can and can\u2019t say. Since then, we\u2019ve become much more efficient because of all the experience and knowledge we\u2019ve gained in this space.<\/p>

But that can be a downside too\u2014you start to govern yourself creatively because you know where you can\u2019t go. For instance, I was recently working with the younger designers on a new project for Teleflex, and I noticed that they have a more untethered approach to it. Some of the concepts were really provocative and pushed the boundaries.<\/span><\/p>

Normally, Greg or I might have pulled back on those ideas before they even went to the client. But showing that work, even if there\u2019s no chance they\u2019ll approve it, is valuable. It pushes the client and gives them insight into our creative approach. Letting them pull us back, rather than us pulling ourselves back, is always good for the agency and the client.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How did your experience with med-tech expand from there?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Greg:<\/strong> Because of our initial experience with Ethicon, we have seen our network expand. Just like any other industry, when your contacts leave for another med-tech company, they bring you along if they liked working with you and see value in your work. If you bring something fresh, if you\u2019re flexible, cost-effective, and produce good creative, that helps too.<\/p>

Our primary experience\u2014the depth of it\u2014is in medical devices, specifically minimally invasive surgery. We\u2019ve dabbled a little in pharmaceuticals since Ethicon is part of Johnson & Johnson, which has other divisions, like Janssen Pharmaceuticals.<\/span><\/p>

Joel:<\/strong> Most of our experience is in the minimally invasive surgical space. But we\u2019ve done some other work in the medical space. Camargo Pharmaceutical was another small pharma company. We worked with Children\u2019s and Mercy hospitals in Cincinnati, and we also rebranded Symmetry Surgical. It had a huge portfolio of products spanning both open surgery and minimally invasive devices, so that was an interesting project. I believe they were acquired a few years ago. We\u2019ve been around long enough to see companies come and go, merge, get acquired, rebrand, unbrand, and rebrand again.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Can you tell me a little about your process for designing in the med-tech space?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Greg:<\/strong> It\u2019s all about learning and being open to research. Watching videos, understanding the procedures, and not getting grossed out by certain surgical procedures you might be looking at. The learning curve can be steep, but it\u2019s like anything else.<\/p>

If you\u2019ve never done laundry and suddenly have to sell laundry detergent, you might think, \u201cWell, I know it cleans clothes,\u201d and make assumptions from there. Joel and I aren\u2019t surgeons, obviously, but we\u2019ve been around this space long enough that we can explain things in a way that makes sense to other non-experts. Sometimes, people even think, \u201cWow, you could probably perform this procedure!\u201d Of course not. But we can communicate the concepts clearly.<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s a challenge for creatives, but it\u2019s also rewarding. Now, when I hear team members new to the business or med-tech in general talk about these topics after being exposed to them a few times, they can explain what a sleeve gastrectomy is and why the sleeve shape matters. That\u2019s really cool. Joel described it as feeling like a proud parent when you hear your team confidently discussing these topics.<\/span><\/p>

We\u2019ve also been lucky to work with people like Ron Galovich. He was at Standard Bariatrics and is now at GT Metabolic. He\u2019s very articulate\u2014he repeats things over and over, slightly tweaking the phrasing each time. That\u2019s helped us develop a strong understanding of bariatric and metabolic surgery. At the end of the day, we can\u2019t be afraid of complex topics. We have to lean in and make sense of them.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Joel:<\/strong> I think as designers and creatives, we\u2019re inherently curious. We want to understand how things work\u2014whether it\u2019s a procedure or how a device functions within that procedure. Our job is to take complicated concepts and communicate them in a way that people can easily grasp\u2014whether that means simplifying them or making them more emotive. For me, that\u2019s been the fun of it. Diving deep into a complex industry and finding creative, new ways to position, market, and advertise these companies, devices, and procedures.<\/p>

Greg:<\/strong> Not only do we have to explain these things to our internal team when we\u2019re developing a new campaign, design, or brand strategy, but we also have to explain them to outside collaborators\u2014animators, copywriters, photographers. For example, you have to be able to tell someone, \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t hold the device that way\u201d or \u201cThat\u2019s not how the procedure actually works.\u201d Luckily, we can watch videos of older or legacy products to see how they function\u2014or how they don\u2019t function.<\/span><\/p>

Now, when we\u2019re searching for stock imagery on Getty, we can spot when a supposedly great surgical image is completely inaccurate. You see an image labeled as \u201cminimally invasive surgery,\u201d but it\u2019s full of scalpels, sutures, and open surgery elements\u2014that\u2019s just not how it works.<\/span><\/p>

Joel:<\/strong> That\u2019s why there\u2019s a huge advantage in working with a company that already has deep experience in this category. You don\u2019t have to explain things to them\u2014they just know. And that\u2019s the level of expertise we bring to the med-tech and minimally invasive surgical space. There aren\u2019t a ton of agencies out there with the same depth of experience in this area. But it\u2019s not something others can\u2019t learn\u2014it just takes time.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How do you encourage younger designers to keep things fresh while ensuring they don\u2019t push things too far? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Greg:<\/strong> I always try to get them into the mindset of the audience. If we\u2019re talking about a surgical audience, we need to be direct and specific: focused on features and benefits.\u00a0You can\u2019t rely too much on emotional appeal because that\u2019s not how they make decisions. That\u2019s not a hard-and-fast rule, but in general, you need to balance creative ideas with practical considerations.<\/span><\/p>

We tell our team, \u201cIf you want to present a bold, push-the-envelope concept, that\u2019s great. But we also need one or two ideas that hit the mark right between the eyes.\u201d Then, we can bring a third concept that\u2019s more provocative\u2014something that challenges them to think differently. Even if we know they\u2019ll never go for it, it builds credibility. It keeps them coming back to us when they want something beyond the typical, cookie-cutter approach.<\/span><\/p>

Joel:<\/strong> You don\u2019t want to restrain creativity\u2014whether it\u2019s a young designer or an experienced one who\u2019s never worked in this industry before. We always need to push ourselves. At the same time, we have to show that we understand the category, the product, and the audience. So, we present some concepts that are closer in\u2014less provocative, more practical. It\u2019s a balance. You don\u2019t want to limit creatives by telling them where they can\u2019t go, but they also need to understand the constraints of the category.<\/span><\/p>

Surgeons, for example, make decisions based more on rational, evidence-based factors than emotional appeal. But that doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t push the boundaries. We can\u2019t just deliver the same old, same old. The real danger is when we stop challenging ourselves, the agency, and the client.<\/span><\/p>

The reality is, our clients have already been told \u201cno\u201d more times than we have\u2014by their regulatory, compliance, and legal teams. So, they come into projects with a reserved, almost resigned mindset. That\u2019s why we have to challenge them, even if it\u2019s just to get them excited. Sometimes, we show them a concept they could never publicly launch, but they love how provocative it is.<\/span><\/p>

Just yesterday, we showed a client a creative concept they\u2019ll probably never be able to use publicly, but they loved it. It sparked a conversation. They even said, \u201cMaybe we could use something like this internally for a product launch, where we have more flexibility.\u201d And that\u2019s the value of pushing creative thinking.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What are some of the challenges of designing and creating in the med-tech space?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Greg:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk about one of our recent projects for Pleur-evac\u2122, which was for one of their devices that assists with chest drainage. When you\u2019re in the hospital after surgery or dealing with a collapsed lung, this is what keeps your lungs functioning. It\u2019s essential. But from a creative standpoint, it\u2019s like, \u201cOh my God, I\u2019d almost rather work on anything else.\u201d Or even do nothing at all. But then, once you start getting into it, you realize the ideas can actually be pretty cool.<\/p>

The challenge is bringing fresh ideas to what is often a very clinical industry. That\u2019s where creativity comes in\u2014finding ways to make it engaging. You don\u2019t want to fall into the trap of feeling beaten down by compliance regulations. Sure, there are certain things you can\u2019t say, but you can grab people\u2019s attention and find ways to engage them.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For example, on a recent project with Weck, they gravitated toward the safer concepts we presented, but they also liked some of the more daring ones. They started thinking, \u201cMaybe we could use these for trade shows.\u201d That\u2019s progress. It shows that they don\u2019t have to settle for just another standard product brochure with a nice picture and a list of features. Of course, they\u2019ll still need that kind of material. But they can also create something eye-catching\u2014something that makes people stop and say, \u201cWait, what is this? This doesn\u2019t look like a typical medical device ad.\u201d<\/p>

Joel:<\/strong> It\u2019s something we talk about a lot\u2014how creating for any category, any business, or any product is never easy. But when you\u2019re asked to design something for chest drainage\u2014something that seems inherently boring\u2014that\u2019s the real creative challenge.<\/p>

If you can create something beautiful, engaging, or even funny for a product like that, that\u2019s the true test of creativity.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Taking something mundane, unsexy, or seemingly uninspiring and applying great creative thinking to it\u2014that\u2019s what impresses me. Sure, I\u2019d love to work on Nike. But in some ways, it\u2019s probably easier to create an ad for Nike than it is for chest drainage. The challenge is finding a way to differentiate something in the market that doesn\u2019t naturally lend itself to excitement. That\u2019s the real challenge.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Healthcare expenditures in the U.S. reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, and could reach $6.2 trillion by 2028. And within this colossal industry are yet more fast-growing sectors, not least of which is med-tech, a space that rewards precision, regulation, and innovation. But how do you translate complex surgical procedures, medical devices, and clinical advancements into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":3520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3513"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3543,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions\/3543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-matter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}