New name for drugs giant

Siegel & Gale has created the name and identity for the newly formed Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis – the result of the biggest ever merger.

The joining of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz has created the world’s second biggest drugs company, concentrating on pharmaceuticals, agribusiness and nutrition.

Siegel & Gale worked on the name and marque for Sandoz’s spin-off chemicals company Clariant last June. The nomenclature Novartis, intended to translate from the Latin as new skills, was one of 18 names researched and will be registered in 180 countries.

The consultancy, which only started work on the project in January, created a red, yellow and turquoise symbol, simultaneously implying part of the flower of life, a cupped hand and a pestle and mortar, says Siegel & Gale managing director Malcolm Parkinson. “We wanted to signify that it’s a caring company,” he adds.

This is the latest in a line of drugs mergers and takeovers, following Pharmacia & Upjohn earlier this year and Glaxo-Wellcome last summer. Novartis is expected to spark other mergers in the sector, with UK company Zeneca tipped as a likely suitor.