What does healing for all look like?
From around the corner to inside the mall, there are thousands of pharmacies and drug stores scattered across the Philippines. Look inside one of them, and it will be easy to play spot-the-difference: where there is a class divide, there is also a quality divide. In the end, sickness doesn’t discriminate. When quality healthcare becomes less accessible, fundamental needs slowly become mere aspirations. What can we do to reverse the equation – to turn this luxury into community empowerment?
This story begins with three beauty queens and longtime friends Dr. KC Halili (2014 Miss Manila), Justine Felizarta (2024 Century Tuna Superbods Grand Winner, 2022 Miss World Philippines) and Angelia Ong (2015 Miss Earth). Over the years, the three found joy in helping out their fellow countrymen whenever calamities struck. Their experiences taught them one thing: Filipinos deserve better. Realizing they could concentrate their volunteerism efforts in one place, they had a eureka! moment. Angelia, KC, and Justine envisioned a community health center where high-quality pharmaceutical products could be complemented by educational wellness programs. With this, they got to work.
The power of great design can uplift and elevate spaces, as well as the communities that inhabit them. With leading franchises taking up the current pharmacy landscape, the team needed to burst through with conviction. We had the power to make Filipinos feel appreciated and dignified. With this, we wholeheartedly took on the task of articulating the queens’ vision, creating a new, inclusive, and yet premium reinterpretation of a healthcare brand identity.
More Than Medicine: Speaking A Common Language
Altogether, Filipinos speak nearly 300 languages across their thousands of islands, and we had to speak in every one of them. Directly translating to “prescription,” reseta is a written direction for prescribing and preparing medicine. In its simplicity and brilliance, it cuts across the regional divide to unite Filipinos in their desire for relief from pain. Initially called Medicorner, we decided to rename the pharmaceutical concept to Reseta, owning the word in their minds. The name directly fulfills what the brand stands for: making premium medicine accessible to the ones who need it the most.
When you turn on your TV or drive past a billboard on the highway, you typically see branded medicines presented as fast relief to ailments. That’s not the case for most Filipinos, for whom the act of getting medicine is more than a quick fix – it is an upliftment from earthly ills. Our strategy thus had to transcend usual healthcare branding, encapsulating the experience of good health and well-being. We found that word in ginhawa, a distinct Filipino word that means “to breathe.” Ginhawa became the cornerstone of Reseta’s brand narrative – a sense of relief both philosophical and physical. This all-encompassing concept would set forth our strategy in motion.
Speaking Truth to Care
Personifying ginhawa, Reseta’s tone of voice is the perfect combination of empathy, compassion, and solution. Its use of empathic and comforting language can be easily applied in copywriting executions and customer interactions – leading to distinguished and dignified healthcare branding.
Community Vibrancy
The big idea behind Reseta’s visual language started with a medicine pill and a heart. These elements, along with the iconic pharmaceutical cross and Rx symbols – set the foundation for a unique brand identity.
Across a vibrant color palette, our visual identity exemplifies and expands upon the spirit of ginhawa by liberating storegoers from the sterile environments of typical pharmacies and drug stores. The result is a lively, welcoming, and uplifting space for all Filipinos. Reseta’s joyfully enticing brand identity can be easily applied across store designs, as well as in online and on-site promotions. This gives more than enough room to play for uniforms, social media, and even neighborhood signage.
Filipinos are in a constant cycle of hurting and healing – it’s in our past and our present. Reseta exists to break this cycle, believing in the power of ginhawa for healing to be a confluence of rest and relief. Thus, it becomes a potent symbol for what a conscious and truly human-centric pharmacy could be. As Reseta opens its first branch in Malolos, Bulacan, Design For Tomorrow sees fulfillment in co-creating a brand that could signal of hope for the community it serves.
“If you want to see your vision come alive, there’s no better way to do it than finding a team that will not only show you the way, but embark on the journey with you, ensuring that the end result surpasses expectations—the best version of that vision. Every time we work with Ric and the whole DFT team, there’s a sense of excitement because we know we’re up to something meaningful.”
Justine Felizarta, Angelia Ong, KC Halili
Co-Founders, Reseta Philippines
Client Reseta Industry Retail, Healthcare Discipline Branding, Design, Packaging Location Philippines
Creative & Art Director Ric Gindap Associate Art Director Rashina Tuazon
Brand Identity and Logo Designer Mikaela Torres
Strategy MJ Amos Copywriter and Tone of Voice Dave Riel Española
Account Manager Cessmarie Villones
