An innovative and creative way to communicate a client’s sustainability ambitions secured Cobalt Gold at the MarCom Awards 2024. The award for Sustainability Visual Branding highlighted Cobalt’s problem-solving process to address one of its longtime client’s desire for a bespoke image treatment that uniquely represented what the company does and its commitment to sustainability.

West Pharmaceutical Services challenged Cobalt to establish a visual presence for its sustainability branding, one that needed to go well beyond the traditional environmental imagery used today and authentically represented West and its commitment to sustainability. “West is proud of our legacy of innovation and how we have helped to advance health care to build a better future,” said Michele Polinsky, VP of Global Communications and Corporate Philanthropy. “We understand building a better future also means being a steward of sustainability for our environment, and that is why this project was so important to us.”

The Cobalt team explored a range of options with the goal of choosing a single approach, but West wanted a more flexible portfolio to accommodate diverse messages and delivery channels. “Ultimately, we went with two approaches,” said Bill Harris, Cobalt’s Founder and Creative Director. “The first was to use Viridian® Vials as a centerpiece of our visual treatment. These new-to-market vials, made by Corning® and distributed exclusively by West, use less glass and enable a significant reduction in CO2e emissions, so they make a fantastic centerpiece to West’s sustainability branding.”

To elevate the imagery, Cobalt’s photographer oriented the camera so it looked down the length of the glass vial, producing a final image resembling an aperture, which itself could be placed over other background scenes. “The aperture effect itself is dramatic,” Bill noted, “but what makes it interesting is the back story — that a company known for its innovations in injectable medicines is helping to introduce and drive adoption of a game-changing vial.” The second approach relied on people, not products, to capture the concept that sustainability is an “inside out,” human-centric effort. To achieve this, Cobalt’s designers merged photos of West team members with photos of nature, producing stunning photo illustrations of people existing simultaneously in two environments — manufacturing and nature. Using both approaches yielded a library of powerful images that could be used to accompany either corporate- or product-focused messaging.

The final result impressed both West and the judges at the MarCom Awards. “Cobalt worked as an extension to our team delivering this project,” noted Michele. “They provided us with unique perspectives, and we are proud to incorporate this new visual treatment in all our internal and external collateral.”

The MarCom Awards honors excellence in marketing and communication, receiving approximately 6,500 entries per year from around the world. The organization, founded in 1995, consists of several thousand creative professionals. The Association oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges, and sets standards for excellence.

To learn more about the MarCom Awards and see all the winners in the 2024 competition, visit the MarCom Awards website.

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