Greenspace targets Bicycle Therapeutics’ precise approach in their science-focused brand overhaul

Founded in 2009, transatlantic pharmaceutical company Bicycle Therapeutics harnesses the Nobel Prize-winning research of Sir Greg Winter to develop ‘bicycles’ – a groundbreaking therapeutic modality. With roots in both Cambridge, UK and Boston, USA, it promises a new era in transformative medicine targeting diseases with high therapeutic needs. To support the company’s new phase of expansion, creative consultancy Greenspace collaborated with them, working on three fronts – establishing the brand story, while creating a new identity and leading the interior design for Bicycle’s new HQ in Cambridge, UK.

Before landing on the strategic direction, the team undertook a comprehensive consultation process with the Bicycle Therapeutics scientific board of directors over several months. Here, they explored the journey of the entire company, “from its early stages of scientific discovery to their current stage as a much bigger company on the threshold of being able to produce real-world medicines for the treatment of different kinds of cancer, along with other diseases,” notes Founder & CEO Adrian Caddy.

Noticing the technical advantage of Bicycle’s scientific approach over their competitors, “developing precision-guided therapeutics to penetrate deep into tissues and target intractable cancers,” Greenspace refined a science-focused brand identity, one that would communicate their work with clarity. From a vibrant colour palette and bespoke logotype through to a completely new website, the unifying thread was the brand’s narrative of ‘Precision Guided Therapeutics’ – targeting a source point.

Starting with Neue Grotesk by Archive Foundry, the consultancy devised the idea of a ‘target point’ within the ‘B.’ “We collaborated with Archive Foundry over several months to craft additional characters with the target point intervention to create a bespoke display variation for the Bicycle brand,” Caddy adds. To accompany the bespoke display logotype, the team chose Neue Grotesk Text and Neue Grotesk Mono as the supporting typefaces, reinforcing the sleek, science-forward nature of the identity.

In addition to this, Greenspace crafted a 3D animated film to elucidate peptide science, drawing inspiration from deep ocean organisms. The team also commissioned photographer Marcus Ginns to document Bicycle’s pristine labs and facilities; meanwhile, Henry Hunt’s minimalist portraits of employees added a human touch.