Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is a global biopharmaceutical company that introduced a new corporate identity in March 2020, following its acquisition of Celgene. The redesign replaced a blue geometric logo that had been in use since the 1980s with a purple hand symbol and a custom wordmark, marking the company’s first logo change in roughly 30 years.[1]
Design and History
The previous BMS logo, designed in the 1980s, featured a blue geometric symbol that represented six major business lines and 12 secondary businesses, many of which the company no longer operated.[1] The company had been considering an update well before the Celgene deal, but leadership felt the acquisition made it clear that the existing identity no longer matched the company’s direction.[1]
BMS worked with brand consultancy Siegel+Gale and internal marketing experts on the new identity.[1] The project involved extensive global research, including interviews with 200 healthcare professionals across therapeutic categories.[1] The new identity was launched in March 2020.[2]
The redesign introduced several changes: a color shift from blue to purple, a stylized hand graphic, a new custom font, and the removal of the hyphen from “Bristol-Myers.”[3] The new logo features the purple hand symbol followed by the company name in a modern sans serif font custom-created for Bristol Myers Squibb.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to Bristol Myers Squibb, the hand symbol is “a simple, universal expression of healing, of giving and receiving care.”[4] The company describes it as a representation of humanity and the personal touch brought to its work.[4] Siegel+Gale stated the hand was chosen to represent the personal touch that employees, researchers and medical providers bring to their work.[5]
The color purple was selected for its associations with passion and compassion, according to Kathryn Metcalfe, BMS executive VP of corporate affairs.[1] Siegel+Gale noted that purple was chosen because it has personality and communicates warmth, brightness and passion, and it also helped the brand stand apart from pharma competitors whose identities were predominantly blue.[6]
Typography and Design
The company name in the new logo uses a modern sans serif font custom-created for Bristol Myers Squibb.[1] Siegel+Gale described the gray wordmark as drawn and customized for the client, with condensed letterforms intended to suggest rigor, precision and pride.[5] The identity was built around the idea of “bold science in service of patients,” pairing scientific ambition with a human focus.[2]
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