I had a great time speaking with Meg Schlabs, co-founder and creative director at Wizardly. While it may be difficult for early-stage life science companies to think about branding, Meg makes a clear case for why it matters, even before you go to market, especially when you are trying to raise capital and recruit talent.
Meg’s LinkedIn profile mentions that she likes books and cheesy videos. So before we got into the branding discussion, we took a short detour. (This was our first ever conversation.) I mentioned that I had asked ChatGPT to make a few recommendations (three fiction and three non-fiction) based on what it knows about me. They could not be about life science. The jury is still out, but if you want to know what it suggested, the answers are at the bottom of this post.
Then we got into the heart of it:
Why should biotech startups think about branding early?
Because it validates your science. When a company tells a cohesive, compelling story from the start, it’s easier for investors to get on board, for scientists to rally around a mission, and for future hires to say “yes.” That story, she argues, should express why the company needs to exist right now.
…let's lay down, from the top down, from the CEO all the way, trickling all the way through the company, let's lay down who we are, why we exist, who we exist for, where we're going in five years, where we're going in 10 years, and let's memorize this story as a company so that we can make critical visual decisions or branding decisions that when they're validated or tested by an outside audience, they actually have some legs underneath them.
We talked about her approach to uncovering that story. Wizardly’s process often starts with what might sound like a ridiculously simple question:
“What does your company do?”
It’s the kind of question that seems obvious until you realize no two people on the team are answering it the same way. Meg’s workshops build consensus and create a shared foundation before any logos or taglines come to life.
Another thing that stood out to me was how she described designing for the long term. Unlike SaaS companies that can iterate daily, biotech teams are often playing a 10-year game. That means the brand you launch with has to scale with consistency and flexibility as you grow. This is an idea I had never heard before. Meg emphasized designing not just for today’s website or pitch deck, but for the brand library you’ll need 18 months from now.
We also covered:
How design choices (like color) are driven by a 3-pronged strategy: story, user psychology, and competitor positioning
Why Figma is a game-changer for collaborative branding in biotech teams
The risk of too much feedback, and how a single point of contact can keep branding projects on track
Why consistency doesn’t mean rigidity—and how great brands evolve
Finally, here is an idea I loved: rather than gatekeeping the assets, give your clients the tools and training to extend their brand. Her team hands over not just files, but Loom tutorials and templates in Figma, so internal teams can stay on-brand long after the agency engagement ends.
Longtime listeners know the metric: how much do my cheeks hurt from smiling because of all the great insights? 5/5 Definitely recommend.
These cold conversations have been a blast and educational for me beyond the content. I have more lined up. If you aren’t subscribed, now might be a good time…
Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.
Books ChatGPT recommended for me. As I said, the jury is still out on these. Non-fiction seems more promising.
Fiction The Overstory, The Master and Margarita, Stoner
Non-fiction Antifragile, Amusing Ourselves to Death, The Art of Noticing
Wild Card The Peregrine by J.A. Baker
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