Roche
Editorial Illustration / Storyboarding / Animation Direction / Healthcare / Pharma
Roche is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, with a reputation for rigorous, human-centred communications. Over the course of this engagement, I worked across three distinct projects: a series of disease area illustrations exploring the patient lived experience, and two storyboarded animations for separate internal teams. Each project came with a different brief, a different audience, and a different visual challenge. The consistent thread was finding the right tone for subject matter that is often difficult to talk about.
Subcutaneous Treatment
This animation explored the benefits of switching patients from intravenous to subcutaneous treatment, told from the perspective of a busy prescriber. Rather than taking a clinical or technical approach, the brief called for a focus on the emotional and practical impact of that shift, for both the healthcare provider and their patients.
I joined the project at the narrative workshop stage, working alongside a script developer to shape the story before any visuals were locked. From there I developed the full storyboard, translating a complex medical subject into a clear visual sequence that could carry the emotional weight of the brief. I worked directly with the animator throughout, providing direction on pacing, tone, and the moments that needed to land hardest.
The animation was produced and published internally across Roche's channels.
Quality Culture
This was the second animation I worked on for Roche's PT Quality department, commissioned after the success of the first. The brief was to re-introduce Roche's "Quality Unites Us" programme and shift the focus immediately onto behaviour: what quality actually looks like in practice for the people responsible for the integrity of everything Roche produces.
As with the Subcut animation, I was involved from the narrative workshop stage. The challenge here was different: rather than explaining a medical concept, the task was to make an internal values programme feel meaningful rather than corporate. The storyboard had to strike a tone that was direct and energising without feeling like a poster. I developed the visual narrative in close collaboration with the script developer and presented the storyboard back to the client team.
The animation was produced and distributed internally. The fact that this was a repeat commission from the same department reflects how the first project landed.
These frames are from the first storyboarding ideas for the subcutaneous animation. You can see how the project developed from these ideas
Some storyboarding frames from the Quality culture animation
Disease Area Illustrations
The brief
To illustrate the patient journey and lived experience of individuals across a number of disease areas: Alzheimer's disease, obesity, COPD, breast cancer, and haemophilia.
The work was to draw on real patient stories for inspiration, sit within Roche's established clear and graphic visual style, and explore both literal and more experience-focused approaches without defaulting to metaphor.
I began by researching each disease area in depth, building an understanding of how each condition affects daily life, not just clinically but emotionally and practically. From that research I developed a full set of concepts, one for each condition, before moving into final illustration. The process involved working closely with the account team to present concepts back to the Roche client, refining based on feedback, and ensuring each illustration felt specific to its disease area rather than generic.
The full set of illustrations was published across Roche's platforms and online channels.
Alzheimer's concept
Alzheimer's concept 2
Haemophilia
Obesity
Obesity 2
Breast cancer
Breast cancer 2
Credits
CREATIVE LEAD
Dani Budai
STORYBOARDING & ILLUSTRATION
Jana Zafirovska
ANIMATION
András Fakó, Bence Kulcsár
SCRIPT
Kat Arney, First Create the Media