The Collected Works subverts medical branding with a warm, tech-driven visual identity for Prolaio — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design

The Collected Works have designed an identity for Prolaio that reflects the medical company’s innovative approach to caring for people with heart conditions. Based in Chicago, Prolaio focuses on continuous collaboration and learning, utilising wearables to connect care teams with real-time patient data. This technology-driven approach allows individuals to manage their symptoms on their own schedule, rather than being bound by traditional appointment systems. The Collected Works’ warm, abstract visual identity mirrors Prolaio’s patient-centred ethos, emphasising the company’s commitment to modernising cardiac care through accessible, user-friendly solutions.

To distinguish Prolaio from the sea of “dull medical brands,” the US-based independent design studio opts for a more abstract depiction of the heart in its iconography. “From the beginning of this project, we had this idea of visually representing your heart health without feeling too textbooky or cartoony – living more in the abstract, evocative realm,” Co-founder & Creative Director Jose Fresneda tells us.

This is achieved with a custom tool in Blender which, with the adjustment of a few parameters, is able to generate key art and patterns. Initially conceived as an “internal sketch,” the ‘heart system’ evolved into a versatile asset generator. “We love when we’re able to develop a custom tool for a project,” says Fresneda. “It’s a great way to codify the visual systems we’re thinking about into a more defined ruleset.” The tool allows Prolaio to generate assets independently, with 30 curated options and high-resolution exports for diverse applications. “It’s a really flexible system and also easy to use, whether it’s us or their in-house team creating new material.”

Early in the research and exploration stage of the key art and patterns, the team was inspired by the fine-grained texture of risograph prints, particularly the moments where the colours overlap and blend, and the “serene and grounding” feeling they evoke. “While the final result veered far away from that,” Fresneda reflects, “we realised that we wanted this to be a digital-forward brand, and referencing print media felt a bit far off.” As such, the generative heart shapes feature a subtle noise texture, which brings “a certain authenticity and warmth,” according to Fresneda – “we want Prolaio to be an inviting brand, something that feels very different from the cold, clinical, stark colours of a lot of medical brands.”

When defining Prolaio’s typographic identity, Sharp Type’s Sharp Sans Display No.2 emerged as the perfect choice for the wordmark and headlines, complimenting Inter by Rasmus Andersson for the body copy. The typeface’s geometric, stemless letterforms provide a striking contrast to the brand’s organic, heart-centric visuals. Set in lowercase, the wordmark exudes warmth and approachability, reflecting Prolaio’s community-driven ethos. As Fresneda explains, “We tried a lot of different wordmarks – including some in all caps, but they felt too authoritative or unwelcoming. The lowercase clicked pretty immediately. There’s something about lowercase that is inviting, almost a nod to the action of typing a message to a community group.” This typographic direction balances Prolaio’s serious mission with an authentic, welcoming feel, creating a visual harmony that’s both “forward-looking” and timeless.

Initially keen on using a single hero colour – the ‘watermelon’ shade on the homepage – the studio had to develop a broad palette of accessible colours to meet the developers’ requirements for Prolaio’s app. “We also liked how different the heart graphics look in various colours,” adds Fresneda. “This led us to a loose colour-coding system, depending on whether Prolaio is talking about HCM (Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) or heart failure – they can have, for instance, different brochures on a table that are easy to separate at a glance.”