Virco
The brief:
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team wanted to develop a test kit that could safely be distributed, self-administered, and returned to a lab. Our primary challenge was developing a cost-effective and space efficient packaging solution that would keep the contents, and the people handling it, safe. Additionally, compliance with testing regulations were played a key role in how we determined the end product should look and perform. The design team’s responsibility was to create a logo for the brand that would represent reliability, accuracy, and safety. We decided to name our company Virco: a mashup of the words “virus” and “COVID.”
packaging design / branding + logo / layout / illustration
LIFE CYCLE OF PRODUCT
Research
We interviewed people with good insight on COVID-19 procedures and/or first-hand experience with testing methods (as of summer of 2020). Many of these points have changed as more information was gathered about the virus.
General Practitioner
Home testing can be difficult due to user error. Normal swabbing is done in a painful way, and most people will not subject themselves to it.
Simple instructions are essential, specifically for those who may have lower levels of literacy, so medical jargon should be avoided.
The CDC is considering new testing that is potentially less invasive than a swab inserted all the way to the back of the throat.
ThermoFisher (COVID-19 kit assembly)
Cardboard boxes with inserts are assembled before kits are put together. These inserts have holes that need to be punched out by hand to hold tubes.
Tests are shipped cold.
Potential improvement to packaging involves removing as much hand assembly as possible.
Test kits may require temperature control packaging, as genetically engineered substances can degrade if not sustained at the proper temperature.
Average Test Taker
Test was taken at a drive-through testing center.
First asked to blow their nose, then head was tilted back and a roughly 6 inch long q-tip was inserted into the nose by the proctor.
Q-tip reached the back of the nasal passage and was rotated for 15 seconds. Finished sample was placed into a tube to be tested.
From the patient’s perspective, the test was quick and easy.
Logo Experimentation
