Life Saving Design

Developed by Professor Ola Dale and his team at NTNU, Ventizolve needed a design that could perform in the chaos of a life-or-death situation: functional, with the potential to become iconic, and created with dignity. Our role was to translate the science into a product people could trust, carry without stigma and use instinctively in an emergency.

Opioid addiction is a complex global crisis. When we began, existing naloxone products were purely clinical in design: compliant with regulations, but indifferent to the end user’s reality. This meant solutions that could be stigmatising, hard to carry or confusing in an emergency.

We began with ethnographic research, speaking to people with opioid dependency, frontline workers, academics and activists. We studied the environments in which overdoses occur, the social realities of those affected and the barriers to intervention. These insights shaped every design decision, from the product’s form to its identity and instructions.

The design follows the ergonomic possibilities, creating a form made to become a recognisable symbol of help in an overdose. With two doses recommended in each pack, the solution keeps them together in the most compact and accessible way. Opening had to be simple, while making sure the applicators could not be released by accident before they were needed.

“Design is a quality that far too often belongs to the richest and healthiest in society. An ironic reality, given what design is really for: improving the human experience. Our ambition from the start was not to compromise on the design values of Ventizolve. Good design is a universal right.”

“There is no greater communication responsibility, and therefore no greater challenge, than the moment a life is to be saved. But this project is about far more than that moment. The reality is that there are many barriers to saving a life, and they start long before the overdose itself.” Tom Morgan

The band around the device has two main functions: it ensures the packaging cannot be opened by accident, and the quick release works like the pin on a fire extinguisher or the “break glass” panel in front of an alarm. When you pull off the safety band, you prepare yourself for what you are about to do: potentially save a life.

The use of colour in the product identity has two functions: to link the product to the manufacturer, giving confidence in quality and continuity, and to stand out in a chaotic or dimly lit environment in an emergency.

The information and audience design, illustration style and film production went through a rigorous process to meet the highest standards of ethics and pharmaceutical regulation. This includes clear, multilingual guides for effective use.

In the first six months after launch, it was used in over 600 life-saving situations in Norway alone.

The design solution has received media coverage from FastCo, The New York Times, Design Week, Dezeen, VG, NRK, TV 2 and more.

In December 2021 Ventizolve was included in Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s exhibition “Design and Healing: Creative Responses to Epidemics”. It now features as part of the Smithsonian’s permanent design collection in New York.

A leading addiction expert from King’s College London described it as “surprising the Levis’ test”. But the greatest feedback, for us, came from a person with opioid dependency, who told us the product made them feel “seen with dignity”. The patented solutions from the process have also attracted interest from other pharmaceutical companies for use in products beyond naloxone.

Ventizolve continues to launch in new markets, carried in the pockets of people with addiction and responsible citizens.