Coloplast: Design DNA
Coloplast faced a fragmented brand identity and products that felt clinical and stigmatizing for users. They tasked Native Design London with unifying their three divisions under a single design philosophy. The goal was to move beyond functional utility to create products that restored patient dignity and improved quality of life, ultimately driving global innovation leadership and commercial growth.
Creative Idea
Reimagined medical devices as discreet lifestyle accessories to restore patient dignity through unified design.
Coloplast transformed stigmatizing medical devices into dignified lifestyle products by creating a unified Design DNA that prioritized emotional user experience over clinical utility, proving that human-centered design can drive massive commercial growth in the healthcare sector.
Turning Clinical Devices into Global Innovation Benchmarks
Seven Years of Radical Transformation
The Design DNA was not a standard marketing campaign but a seven-year organizational overhaul that began in 2010. Led by Morten Villiers Warren and Marcus Hoggarth at Native Design, the project unified three disparate business divisions under a single aesthetic and philosophical language. The cornerstone of this shift was a physical and digital Design DNA book that functioned as a foundational philosophy rather than a rigid manual, teaching engineers and marketers how to prioritize emotional dignity over clinical utility.
The Triangular Solution and AR Guidance
The project introduced several industry-first innovations born from deep ethnographic research. One notable detail was the development of triangular catheters. This specific shape was engineered because users reported that traditional round catheters often rolled off bathroom counters, causing hygiene risks and significant stress. Additionally, the team replaced traditional paper manuals and DVDs with Augmented Reality (AR) guidance, allowing users to visualize product application through their mobile devices in real-time.
Outselling the Competition 4-to-1
The commercial impact of this design-led strategy was unprecedented in the MedTech sector. Between the project’s inception and its recognition at Cannes, Coloplast’s share price soared by over 400%. The company became the world’s leading intimate healthcare provider, outselling competitors 4-to-1 in most core categories. This success led *Forbes* to rank Coloplast among the Top 25 Most Innovative Companies globally, placing a medical manufacturer alongside tech giants like Apple and Tesla. As Head of Design Hans Falleboe noted, the goal was to ensure products were perceived as lifestyle accessories rather than medical necessities, directly honoring the legacy of founder Elise Sørensen.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A world-leading healthcare brand with fragmented identity and clinical products that compromised patient dignity.
Category
Treat medical devices as purely functional, sterile tools, often ignoring the emotional stigma and user lifestyle.
Customer
Patients want to feel like normal human beings, not clinical cases defined by their medical conditions.
Culture
A growing cultural demand for human-centered design and the de-stigmatization of chronic health conditions.
Company
A world-leading healthcare brand with fragmented identity and clinical products that compromised patient dignity.
Category
Treat medical devices as purely functional, sterile tools, often ignoring the emotional stigma and user lifestyle.
Strategy:
Elevate functional medical necessity into dignified lifestyle design to transform clinical utility into emotional empowerment.
Customer
Patients want to feel like normal human beings, not clinical cases defined by their medical conditions.
Culture
A growing cultural demand for human-centered design and the de-stigmatization of chronic health conditions.
Strategy:
Elevate functional medical necessity into dignified lifestyle design to transform clinical utility into emotional empowerment.
Results
The 'Design DNA' initiative led to significant commercial and reputational growth. Since its introduction, Coloplast's share price has increased by over 300%. The company has been recognized by prestigious publications, with the CEO ranked as 'one of the best performing CEOs in the world' by Harvard Business Review and Coloplast named 'one of the world's most innovative companies' by Forbes. The project involved over 15,000 hours of work, 1,541 hours of face-to-face meetings, and 91 individual trips across the UK and Denmark.
300%
increase in share price
15,000+
hours of project work
1,541
hours of face-to-face meetings
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
Instead of a traditional ad campaign, Coloplast built a foundational design system that fundamentally changed their products. This internal utility transformed the brand's output, making the products themselves the most powerful marketing tool.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Dramatize the Solution
The campaign highlights the shift from clinical, embarrassing medical tools to discreet, high-end lifestyle products. It uses the Design DNA book to visually demonstrate how thoughtful design solves deep-seated patient anxieties.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's excellence lies in its holistic approach to industrial design, turning medical necessities into lifestyle products that prioritize human dignity.
The transformation of medical devices into objects of 'emotional dignity' through form and material choice is a masterclass in user-centric design.
The visual presentation of the 'Design DNA' book and the clean product photography perfectly mirror the brand's new identity.
