Modernizing a 60-Year-Old Medical Device Brand Without Losing Its Legacy

How do you modernize a brand with six decades of visual baggage, while positioning it as both rugged enough for elite athletes and credible enough for hospital ICUs? You do it with intentional design, clear segmentation, and a refusal to chase trends.

Situation

The company had a powerful legacy: over 60 years of manufacturing medical-grade percussive devices used by respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and elite sports teams, but its branding hadn’t evolved since the Eisenhower administration.

For new customers—especially athletes accustomed to sleek consumer devices and hospital systems expecting sterile professionalism—the outdated identity created confusion. Worse, the brand risked being lumped in with mass-market massage devices like Theragun, whose positioning had little in common with the company’s clinical heritage.

The brand needed a refresh that communicated modern capability, clinical credibility, and rugged durability—without abandoning the 60-year reputation that made it trusted in the first place.

Task

Our objective was to bridge past and future:

• Refresh the visual identity without erasing the legacy

• Differentiate from consumer massage brands

• Appeal to two very different customer bases:

  • 1) Athletes seeking rugged recovery tools

  • 2) Clinicians and hospital systems requiring sterile, credible medical equipment

• Influence product aesthetics, packaging, and digital presence to match the new direction

Action

1. Developed a New Visual Language Rooted in the Company’s Technology

Because customers associated the devices with vibrational therapy, we introduced a simple dotted-wave motif. A clean nod to oscillation and clinical precision, while being versatile enough to appeal to a wide-breadth of customer segments and differentiated from our CPG competitors. This became the foundation of the refreshed visual system.

2. Repositioned the Brand to Avoid Consumer Device Comparisons

To separate from fitness consumer brands:

• Avoided glossy, luxury-athleisure aesthetics

• Chose a rugged, outdoor-inspired aesthetic aligned with athletes who climb, hike, and train in real environments—not boutique gyms

• Maintained clinical minimalism to remain credible in ICU and respiratory therapy settings

This “rugged-yet-clinical” hybrid positioned the company in a category of its own.

3. Redesigned the Logo & Visual Identity

• Modernized the logo to feel precise, technical, and trustworthy

• Integrated the new wave motif subtly throughout the identity

• Added structure and modern typography to bring the 60-year heritage forward without feeling dated

4. Updated the Website to Reflect Modern Clinical Confidence

• Rebuilt the site's visual hierarchy

• Used cleaner imagery and medically trustworthy color palettes

• Introduced athlete-oriented visuals for consumer segments without compromising professionalism

• Created separate messaging lanes for clinical vs. consumer audiences

5. Refreshed Packaging Using Clean Imagery and Sustainable Materials

• Updated all packaging to match the new brand system

• Used clean, high-contrast device photography

• Leveraged environmentally conscious materials to align with modern buyer expectations

• Balanced rugged field use with sterile medical appropriateness

6. Influenced New Product Aesthetic Direction

The updated brand system became the blueprint for future device design:

• More geometric lines

• Cleaner surfaces

• Improved visual cohesion with the new logo and packaging

Results

The brand refresh delivered material improvements:

• A unified visual identity that bridged 60 years of history with cutting-edge technology

• Clear differentiation from trend-driven consumer massage brands

• Credibility boost with hospital systems and respiratory care providers

• Stronger emotional resonance with rugged, outdoor-oriented athletes

• A modern website that improved clarity, navigability, and product story

• Packaging and product aesthetics aligned with both clinical and consumer expectations

• A brand architecture built to support future product launches and marketing campaigns

Strategic Insights & Learnings

1. Rebranding Provides Opportunity to Better Understand Yourself & Your Customers

   After 60 years in business, you may begin thinking you know yourself and your customers better than they know themselves. Insights gained while interviewing customers on the color palette led us to redesign product offerings and pricing.

   
   

2. Heritage Is Only an Asset If You Actively Leverage It

   A 60-year story is worthless if customers experience outdated visuals. The refresh allowed the company’s legacy to become a strength, not a liability.

   
   

3. Dual-Market Brands Must Choose Identity, Not Compromise

   Trying to please everyone results in pleasing no one. By designing for “rugged yet clinical,” we created a coherent identity that resonated with both audiences for different reasons.

   
   

4. Design Signals Positioning Long Before Messaging Does

   The wave-dot motif quietly communicated technology, motion, and precision—anchoring the brand in its true strengths without saying a word.

   
   

5. Product Aesthetics Are Part of the Brand, Not Separate From It

   The refresh helped inform new product design, ensuring that devices looked as modern and capable as they performed.