1910 Genetics
The digital edge of AI drug discovery: 1910 Genetics’ computational models catalyze the end of major diseases.
Project Overview
1910 Genetics is building two AI-driven computational platforms, ROSALYND and ELVIS, designed to accelerate the design of both small molecule drugs and protein therapeutics. Their goal is to identify novel molecules within existing biological systems with therapeutic potential.
Drawing on their expertise in molecular biology and complex systems, 1910 Genetics take a biology-first approach to target molecule identification and selection. They leverage computational platforms encompassing AI, big data, and structural biology to rapidly discover potential pharmaceutical drug molecules, aiming to address diseases previously deemed incurable and undruggable.
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Challenge
Since 1910 Genetics’ computational models are quite novel in their field of application, the visual vocabulary we needed to express their functionality and impact practically didn’t exist.
With this in mind, our first challenge was building this visual vocabulary to serve as an accurate expression of AI and machine learning.
However, our biggest challenge was further refining this visual vocabulary to express what 1910 Genetics refers to as “solving the human problem.” In layman’s terms, this meant discovering new pharmaceuticals to cure diseases by solving a computational problem, but using molecular biology as the basis of their approach.
Approach
Craft 1910’s story into a warm, elegant visual narrative that steps away from the neutral aesthetic of the pharmaceutical and biotech industry; setting a new course for visual expression in this area of AI and machine learning implementation.
In other words: add a human touch to the story of solving the human problem.
Objective
- ①
Complete a brand refresh of 1910 Genetics, rebranding them into a premium biotech company while keeping a few core elements.
- ②
Create a full suite of stylized, but accurate, 3D/2D visual assets — static, motion, and video — for their two bio-computing platforms.
- ③
Coordinate with 1910 Genetics’ in-house team and their contracted PR agency to establish messaging around the visual content.
- ④
Craft an aesthetic that compliments the technology and resonates with the message through a tone of soft-spoken elegance.
- ⑤
Create a web experience that will immediately distinguish 1910 Genetics from their competition by showcasing their sophisticated approach.
- ⑥
Provide 1910 Genetics with a full suite of additional assets help to secure funding and establish partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
Branding
- Logo design
- Color palette
- Typography
- Applications
- Social media
- Guidelines
Branding the future of computational biotechnology: sampled, sequenced, and solved — with a legacy in red.
Challenge
More than just a facelift, the task was a complete redesign of 1910’s brand: crafting a unique new identity and narrative around their core values.
This meant rebranding 1910 Genetics as strong and deeply passionate, yet graceful — we were telling the story of a future leader in the biotech pharmaceuticals industry with accurate portrayals of their technology through unique visual expression.
However, we had to incorporate some legacy elements they wished to keep: burgundy red — the color of 1910’s passion — evoking the pain caused by disease; and the number 9, symbolizing part of a DNA helix, embellished with a pattern that resembles a visualization of a genome sequence (as seen in the 
old and new logos).
Direction
After a few Q&A sessions and some workshopping, we established a clear art direction that would for serve as a guide for distinguishing the 1910 Genetics brand from the rest of the biotech industry by focusing on the “human” aspect of their work — as reflected in the key objectives we’ve outlined earlier.
On the antithetical side of things, our approach incorporated breaking away from the trends of pharmaceutical aesthetics.
The image of 1910 Genetics’ brand had to be immediately distinguishable. However, it had to retain an aesthetically sophisticated sense of elegance that could form a strong association with their technology.
Result
After numerous iterations, we refined our design to a clear tone, serving the soft, more sophisticated voice of the new aesthetic. We kept the brand’s previous recognition through legacy elements (DNA sequence mapping pattern), while elevating the brand to the status of a premium technology company.
Typography is the cornerstone of 1910’s new identity, but it wouldn’t be nearly as impactful without the new color palette that adds the “human” element we’ve previously mentioned.
1910’s new colors offer warmth with softer tones, but provide clarity and impact with the natural colors — especially the more assertive red. Elevated by the elegance of Serif typography, they clearly separate 1910 Genetics from any monotony or corporate association, striking a balance between a sophisticated aesthetic and clear message.
Genome infographic. DNA sequence visualization, genetic mapping, gene barcoding - abstract chromosome map diagram.
1910’s colors: an elegant palette of natural potential
Serving as an accent color, Burgundy Red is 1910’s main color. It simultaneously depicts the pain patients feel as well as 1910’s burning passion and stark determination to bring an end to suffering caused by disease.
The warm colors — earthy and creme — complement the red as they provide the biological overtone of genetics. They serve as an analog for the soft hues found in human tissue and cells, but also form a basis for the premium aesthetic in their lighter tones.
The colder colors — the greens and blues — provide a strong, direct association with nature. Equally importantly, these colors provide a visual foundation for expressing the functionality of AI and machine learning that ties in with the warmer tones, allowing us to escape the clinical setting of their conventional depiction, and instead, integrate a human element into their representation.
When applied across the brand, all these colors and their inferences gracefully come together to form a soft and sophisticated aesthetic that uses its contrasts to speak to 1910 Genetics’ deep resolve to move the pharmaceutical industry forward through refined application of biotechnology.
Typography: The potential of biotech in editorial context
1910’s main font, Editor, carries the brand’s tone of sophistication throughout all applications. It fuses together the elegant curves associated with the natural world of biology and the clean, sharp angles associated with digital technology. Able to stand on its own, it serves as the main font for brand messaging — both in print and on the website.
IBM Plex Sans is the main font used for text, due to its visual clarity and supreme legibility; this is especially important when it comes to more technical, information heavy sections of the website.
Its Mono counterpart, the IBM Plex Mono font, is used for numeration. More importantly, this mono font provides a digital connotation to the aesthetic, strongly alluding to the technical — AI and machine learning — aspect of 1910’s business.
Effortless progress across all mediums: Print & digital
The typography naturally carries the clean aesthetic, complimented by the logotype elements and contrasted with the brand’s colors.
When applied in accordance with the brand guidelines, it stays perfectly consistent in carrying 1910 Genetics’ message across all print and digital mediums.
consistency of character: brand guidelines
To ensure the consistency and effectiveness of the brand’s narrative, we’ve provided 1910 Genetics with a comprehensive guide on how to use all the elements of the visual narrative to create a consistent visual expression. These guidelines ensure the preservation of the desired premium aesthetic — and clarity of messaging — that we’ve established.
As a unique touch, the Brand Guidelines themselves were formatted to fit the A4 paper format. While this showcases the brand’s versatility, it also establishes a connection with the website layout — as we’ll see later, on the Blog page.
Visual Content
- 3D Visualization
- Storyboard
- Animatic
- Video & Motion
From process to pill: 1910 Genetics’ technology captured in 3D, eloquently explained in 10 seconds (or less).
Challenge
1910 Genetics’ approach to pharmaceutical drug discovery came with a steep learning curve and a crash-course in molecular biology.
Aside from that, crafting a faithful visual representation of their technology was a challenge in and of itself — primarily due to the novelty of AI and machine learning visualization in the field of computational molecular biology.
Apart from looking good, our visuals also needed to be viable storytelling and educational tools — simultaneously serving as an accurate description of the underlying technology and 1910 Genetics’ approach.
The biggest challenge was the limited runtime. We had to introduce, explain, and present the functionality and potential of 1910 Genetics’ computational platforms in all of ~10 seconds per platform.
Direction
Even with the aforementioned constraints, we decided to keep the visual dynamics and fidelity at maximum levels. To accomplish this, we would offload as much technical explanation as possible onto a dynamic text section.
To make this work, another important factor was making the visual dynamics as engaging as possible. We needed to insure enough interest in the content, so that the user would actually engage with the text and comprehend the technology.
Of course, all this had to be done while not wearing off the path laid out by the art direction we’ve set during the branding phase.
Carrying the elegance of the brand’s aesthetic through grace of motion and color composition had to remain a priority, even while we were working on staying true to the functionality of 1910 Genetics’ actual technological process.
Result
From a storytelling standpoint, we managed to compress enough information into the visuals to form clearly distinguishable story beats that flowed with the accompanying text.
Thanks to the amazing work done by our artists, these story beats form a clear narrative that encompass the entirety of 1910’s process: from concept to cure, in the shape of a pill.
Coupled with the dynamic text that elaborates on the platforms’ functionality, the ROSALYND and ELVIS sections resulted in a visual experience that shifted the animation length constraints in our favor.
As it takes about 10 seconds to read the text of each key aspect of the each platform’s functionality, the 10 second constraint on the animation loop immediately gives the user a visual representation of what they’ve just read — maximizing information retention.
Elvis
ELVIS is a molecule discovery platform that identifies molecules with the potential to form the basis of new pharmaceutical drugs.
Working through a process that combines cutting-edge biotech methodologies with the computational functionality of machine learning, it has the ability to virtually screen 14 billion molecules in less than six hours. That cuts down the discovery time, immensely increasing the potential of finding a viable molecule that has the potential to be the foundation for an effective pharmaceutical drug.
Our aim was to create a 3D abstraction of the different processes ELVIS goes through (the different “filters” it uses) in order to designate a potential drug molecule.
However, we also had to depict the end result of this process, thus answering the question “why bother with AI?”
Our answer came in the form of a pill, representing the actual drug, so as to paint a clear picture of the ELVIS platform’s potential and practical utility.
Rosalynd
ROSALYND is a computational platform for structure-based protein-drug design. It uses 3D-based protein interaction maps to approximate and virtually prototype interactions between amino acids, which allows it to define and simulate protein structures.
Aided with machine learning and an astonishingly rich, proprietary data layer grounded in biology, it becomes a powerful tool in determining the correct/viable protein structure(s) that can form the basis for new protein-based drugs.
Since this platform was still in development, we couldn’t get a complete insight into the actual process of its operation so we settled for an abstraction that describes its functionality and potential.
Be that as it may, we still based our designs on scientific facts and process details that 1910 could provide. We illustrated, storyboarded, modeled and animated the visualization according to their documents, keeping it as authentic and scientifically valid as possible — only much more visually appealing than the real thing (it is an abstraction, after all).
Elvis
From molecule to freshly minted pill, this abstract visualization depicts Elvis’s process of narrowing down and identifying potential drug molecules.
It keeps with the brand’s aesthetic through its color palette, while providing a strong connection to natural biological processes and complementing the machine learning-driven visual narrative of the animation itself.
ROSALYND
This abstract visualization depicts the virtual sequencing of protein structures and their transformation into stable — usable — DNA helixes (once an adequate protein structure is found).
Since this process entails a strong association with human biology, the color palette complements a feeling of vulnerability and intimacy, evoking a sense of wonder and calm with its warm tones and soft aesthetic.
Website
- UX design
- UI design
- Interactions
- Editorial
- Creative development
Laying out the best of computational biology: a dance of transitions, 3D, and typography across the website.
Challenge
1910 Genetics’ website was meant for a wide audience. We had to reach pioneers in the biotech industry as well as important partners who might be averse to a more dynamic experience — and might not be as well versed in the subject matter as we’d hope.
This meant that the approach to this highly complex topic had to result in the simplest solution possible. Nevertheless, we had to maintain the impactful visual narrative throughout the storytelling experience.
Therefore, our main challenge was finding a way to immerse the user into the potential and practical applications of 1910 Genetics’ technology, without overwhelming them.
Direction
Since the technology and visuals essentially spoke for themselves, we could fully shift our focus to designing the balance of visual narrative and technical information.
In practical terms, we adopted a no-compromises approach to everything from design to web development, focusing on establishing the brand’s character.
This way, we could make sure that the pristine, eloquent aesthetic flows perfectly with the visual content, as it unfolds through the pages and comes alive as an immersive storytelling experience.
Result
We centered the visual narrative around the 3D visualizations, using them — and their derivatives — as centerpieces throughout of the website.
Adopting a minimalistic approach to design, we accentuated the elegance of the brand, building its character with distinct Editorial typography and soft color palette.
Leaning on the brand’s colors, we took full advantage of white space and let the typography shine through the unique layout.
Focusing heavily on subtle animations and smooth page transitions, we succeeded in guiding the user’s attention from storytelling to educational sections with graceful rhythm, creating a truly premium — and comprehensive — experience.
We achieved this with fully custom creative development that formed the backbone for the numerous, custom, interactive elements that drive the story forward.
computational biotech 101: 1910’s home page
The Home Page is structured to flow through an elegantly rounded learning curve that introduces 1910 Genetics.
Starting with a strong tagline in the Hero Section, the visual narrative gradually starts building as the user progresses through the page. Leading the user with subtle animations, the page elaborates on 1910’s business and platforms, ending in an interactive footer section with multiple CTAs.
We devoted special attention to the interactive storytelling section, which explains the origin of 1910’s name. This section highlights key developments in molecular biology, leading up to the founder’s statement on why the company was founded: “To make undruggable targets a thing of the past.
meet the platforms of computational progress: elvis and rosalynd
The page was crafted to narrate the stark contrast between the prevailing challenges in pharmaceutical research and the solutions provided by the 1910 Genetics’ platforms.
To vividly depict the ELVIS and ROSALYND platforms, we integrated the 3D visualization animations, which continually loop in the background.
These animations not only stand alone but are interwoven with a dynamic motion to provide a coherent visual story.
In parallel, the visual narrative is enriched by insights into their processes and capabilities, accessible through an interactive dropdown menu.
the latest in 1910 genetics: Blog page
The Blog page also received special treatment when it comes its design and layout: with a unique twist in concept, its Hero section was made to actually be the featured blog post.
The individual blog posts have unique aspects as well: they’re formatted to fit A4 proportions to resemble a document cover.
Keeping with this concept, the blog posts show a preview of its Hero image in black and white on mouseover, adding depth to the experience.
it’s in their genome: About page
The About page is where we like to leave our creative signature and let a brand’s character shine.
The Editorial typography, paired with its Mono counterpart for numeration, dominates the scene, complemented by the soft background and accent colors in the open layout.
The personal touch of 1910’s approach and mission is especially highlighted in the Team section. Here, the grid animates as the cursor's hover transforms it into a button.
Once a team member is selected, a sliding tab is revealed, expanding to give further insight into their career and education before joining 1910 Genetics.
The page ends with another interactive CTA, leading the user to the Pipeline page.
area agnostic: the Pipeline of progress
We approached the design of the Pipeline page wanting to step away from the conventional presentation of listed items — usually based on forming some kind of grid.
So, to show the areas of application of 1910’s technology, we created a list with dynamic images that slide into view from the background. These images follow the cursor on mouseover, making what is usually a dull section quite animated.
The bottom CTA is also dynamic, as the cursor itself turns into the CTA button and leads to the Platforms page.
An elegant design for a clear path forward: careers page
Although relatively simple, the Careers page keeps to the brand’s design language with its Editorial typeface and boasts the brand’s elegant aesthetic throughout its Open Positions list.
Since maintaining clarity was the main design criteria, we made sure that the layout and typefaces make up a clean presentation of all pertinent information.
With this approach, the design also provides a practical, seamless experience without any flow interruptions or opportunities for confusion, taking care of both the brand’s image and the perspective employee in the process.
Say hello to the future of biotech: contact page
Since 1910 Genetics is situated in Boston, we decided to use its beautiful greens to set a welcoming tone for the Contact page.
Complementing this, we use the spacious layout of the page to let the Editorial typography resonate with the brands elegant aesthetic and lead the user to the uniquely 1910-esque contact form.
Outcome
Since launching their brand and website in late 2020, 1910 Genetics increased their presence and completed multiple rounds of funding. They also significantly grew their team and opened their first research facility in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
All presented outcomes are publicly available and are reported by 1910 Genetics on their social media pages.
$26.7M
Series A and Seed funding
9 to 38
Company/employee growth
Open 1st
State-of-the-art laboratory
- Client: 1910 Genetics
- Timeline: 5 Months
- Year: 2020
- Industry: Biotechnology
- Country: U.S.A.
- Services:Competitive Analysis
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Brand Identity
Brand Tone & Voice
Brand Application
Design System
Photography Art Direction
Pitch Deck Design
Graphic Design
3D Visualization
Video & Motion
Web UX Design
Web UI Design
Creative Development
Content Management System
