Pfizer: annual report connections

Pfizer’s new Annual Review document is out, and it’s time for shareholders to pay close attention. Some will focus on governance, others on amortization. I’m focused on the cover.

The design
Two red-magenta spores, connected by a strand, explode visually over a dark background. We won’t know they’re cancer cells until we open and read. For now, they’re abstract objects representing science, art and fascination. Ditto for the typeface; the white dots on black evoke a movie marquis, or points of light in a dark, unknowing sky.

Intended meanings
LogoLounge talks about the spore shape as a major design trend of 2010, its multiple arms “reaching out to convey a sense of connectivity and of serving multitudes.” That seems in line with Pfizer’s general message of science serving people. It could also be about product differentiation, to emphasize Pfizer’s point that “it is unwise to rely on one or two blockbuster drugs” (p17).

The connecting tendril may be the link between life and science. It could be a reassurance to people affected by the Pfizer-Wyeth merger. Or a battle cry of pharmaceutical researchers, like the ones pictured inside the book, who are challenged to connect the dots.

The general point is this: Pfizer based their cover design on this semi-abstract image, knowing that it would be seen by investors for at least the next year. It stands to reason that they would try and leverage the powers of emotion and ambiguity. Choices like these are rarely made by accident.

Of course, the rational fact that these are cancer cells should be compelling enough on its own. Here is a foe worthy of your investment dollars, no artsy interpretation needed.

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Pfizer Annual Review
LogoLounge 2010 Logo Trends
Critical review of the Pfizer Logo Redesign