Strauss Surgical Branding, Collateral, Social and Tradeshow Booth

THE PROBLEM

Strauss Surgical, an emerging medical device company specializing in urology, felt they weren’t visible enough in a market dominated by large, well-established competitors. They asked us to help them stand out without changing the logo or abandoning the credibility expected of a surgical brand.

THE INSIGHTS

First, the product delivered on its promise. Strauss’s instruments are crafted from high-quality stainless steel, and surgeons consistently remarked on how smoothly they operated and the increased sense of control they provided.

Second, we discovered something unexpected. While urologists take their work very seriously, they also tend to have a remarkably good sense of humor about it. That gave us permission to create a brand that felt sophisticated without taking itself too seriously.

THE RESULT

We weren’t allowed to redesign the logo, but we could redefine the brand’s personality.

I developed a fresh, erudite visual identity with an expanded color palette and new typography that gave Strauss a more distinctive presence while maintaining the trust and professionalism expected in the medical field.

We also refined the brand’s voice to communicate the superiority of Strauss’s instruments by appealing to surgeons’ famously elevated egos, while giving a subtle wink and nod to their specialty.

The advertising leaned heavily on sharp, copy-driven concepts with headlines that were urbane, witty, a little bawdy, cosmopolitan, and unapologetically cocky. (Pun intended.)

That same personality extended into social media, where we created New Yorker-style, highbrow cartoons that captured the confidence and satisfaction surgeons felt when using Strauss instruments.

Finally, we brought the brand to life with a trade show booth unlike anything else on the show floor: The Strauss Clubhouse, “A Urologists-only Privates Club”. Complete with rich wood paneling, a virtual golf course, and even a golf cart, it recreated the atmosphere of an exclusive country club. It became a destination in its own right, drawing constant foot traffic and proving that even in a conservative medical category, personality can be a powerful differentiator.