Date of Award

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Art and Design (Graphic Design Emphasis)

Department

Art

First Advisor

Brandon Daniels

Second Advisor

Katherine Watson

Third Advisor

Joe Weber

Abstract

This paper explores typography as a form of nonverbal communication in pharmaceutical branding for a fictional medication called Neura by investigating how font choice, visual hierarchy, spacing, and color function as communicative tools to its viewers. This paper combines the studies of semiotics and branding to create a brand that evokes trust, calm, and clarity through a visual branding system. This study investigates visual signifiers (semiotics) such as color and type through visual analysis and implements the findings into the brand. By researching branding, I was able to create a brand that has a focused demographic and image. In creating these branding guidelines, I am designing packaging that conveys emotion, tone, and consistency. The project had initially just started as a package design but will be further developed into a full branding package system that includes a medication box mockup, package dielines, illustrations, a character logo, and branding guidelines, pharmacy branding posters, a webpage mockup and an Instagram profile mockup.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: Nicole Allgeyer addresses the issue of migraine medication packaging utilizing visually aggressive strategies, such as high-contrast colors and condensed typography, that cause sensory tension for patients.

  • The Method: The researcher applied semiotic theory and brand identity design principles using qualitative comparative visual analysis to develop a fictional pharmaceutical brand named Neura targeted at female patients aged 20 to 30 years old.

  • Qualitative Finding: The study concluded that utilizing muted color palettes featuring light blue, pastel purple, dark gray, and yellow, alongside clean sans-serif typefaces including Bebas Neue Pro and Atkinson Hyperlegible, successfully communicates brand trust and calm without causing visual strain.

  • Finding: The project produced a comprehensive visual branding system for the Neura medication, which includes medication box mockups, package dielines, a cloud character mascot named Nimbus, promotional posters, and digital platform mockups.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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