When your lead scientist wins the Nobel Prize in Medicine, suddenly your need to have a distinct and professional brand is immediate. We received a call from RXi Pharmaceuticals, a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of human diseases, with just this request.

Like many startups, RXi had no identity whatsoever. We had one week to develop a brand for them to meet the press and publishing storm which was imminent. The clarification and significance of their core values was the first order of business. Boldness, strength and solidity became key points of emphasis. They expressed the need for a mark that represented the empirical nature of the scientific core of their company. As their base is in genetic study, we manipulated a DNA helix iconically and incorporated it into the “X” of their name. Purple, chosen as a dynamic color in technology, contrasted with a warm dark grey reflect the duality of RXi’s focuses on empirical science and cutting edge scientific exploration.