Challenge
Cobra Biologics, a UK contract manufacturer for the building blocks of gene and cell therapies, exhibited in ICSE, the contract services zone at CPhI Worldwide in Madrid, where dozens of near-identical shell-scheme stands sit side by side. Cobra needed to communicate “Contract Manufacturing Excellence” at a glance, make its five services easy to understand, from DNA and viruses to protein, microbiota and fill finish, and give the team a place to meet visitors, all within a standard shell-scheme footprint.
A standard shell scheme doesn’t have to look standard.
Creative response
I turned Cobra’s five service areas into the design itself: five lit discs, one for each service, lined up across a standard shell-scheme wall.
Experience
From the aisle, visitors saw five glowing discs beneath the cobra:bio logo and the line “Contract Manufacturing Excellence”, each ringed in coloured light and carrying one word: DNA, Viruses, Protein, Microbiota, Fill Finish. Smaller printed circles tumbled down the walls and around the corner, drawing the eye in. A branded counter sat at the open corner, a high table gave the team somewhere to talk, and a return wall listed cobrabio.com, LinkedIn and Twitter for later.
Delivery
I ran the Cobra Bio project from initial design and technical development through to production, international logistics and on-site installation.
The stand structure and graphics were produced in the UK, which gave greater control over quality, consistency and budget before it shipped to the United States. To maximise efficiency and reduce unnecessary freight, furniture, flooring and planting were sourced locally, creating a streamlined hybrid approach to international exhibition delivery.
Results
A standard shell scheme, turned into a glowing showcase of everything Cobra Biologics could make.
