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Materials & Finishes

Design Principle

Function

Product Attributes

Use Environment

Reference List of Materials & Finishes

Summary

The following section provides guidance on how to approach defining material and finish when developing Radiology devices for Bayer.

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Design principle

The combination of material and finish greatly influences the perceived qualities of a product and messages conveyed by using both visual and tactile sensory aspects. 

Soft Rubber/Silicones

When defining materials and finishes for a Bayer in Radiology device, consider:

• Device Function: The functional & structural requirements needed for the device.
• Product Attributes: The targeted product characteristics you wish to embed into the device and communicate.
• Use Environment: The relationship you wish to create between the device, the use environment & related products.

Once these elements have been defined, consistent application of this across devices will provide an identifiable visual and tactile experience to the brand.

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Function

Select materials and finishes to best facilitate:

• Practicalities such as durability, wear, tactility and ease of cleaning
• Structural rigidity & strength
• Tactility for physical touch points. For more guidance see: 

User Interaction

General rules of thumb:

• Finishes selected should be less decorative in nature and an emphasis should be placed on function, utility and visual simplicity.
• Adopt smooth/ light textures opposed to heavily textured options to communicate and allow for cleanliness of surfaces. 
• Typically, 0.001 inches or 0.025 mm in texture depth are considered smooth and appropriate for applying to external surfaces such as cover panels.

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Product Attributes

Key messages sought to be expressed by a Radiology device for Bayer are: 

• Care
• Confidence
• Trust
• Efficiency
• Innovation
• Approachability

Visual product attributes help reinforce these messages. For example, visual simplicity and providing clear design cues encourages a sense of Efficiency, Confidence and Trust.

Choice in materials and finishes should aim to communicate these attributes to effectively convey the key messages in a Bayer in Radiology device. 

In addition to functional requirements, metal can be used in areas/components where a visual sense of stability, strength or robustness is sought.

Likewise, in terms of metallic finishes selecting less decorative but more functional processes will further reinforce visual robustness and instill Confidence and Trust.

Other process apparent finishes such as the use of metallic silver are applied to further enhance the sense of technology and promote a sense of innovation.

Machined metal finishes can be used to elevate the feeling of precision and efficiency. 

As a rule of thumb, satin/ matte or light textures should be adopted over highly polished, glossy or textured finishes not only for practicality but in conveying simplicity.

Combinations of materials and finishes are also used to communicate device tiers and product hierarchy within the Radiology device range. See: 

Product Hierarchy

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Use Environment

Use materials and finishes to convey the visual relationship between the device, its use environment and the products within it.

The typical use environment for Radiology devices is a clinical/medical setting, requiring a sense of Safety, Trust and cleanliness. As such finishes adopted in this environment should not be overly embellished, decorative or loud.

The type of relationship depends on the design intent for the device. Materials and finishes found in its use environment should be referenced and reflected in the device to create visual cohesion and appropriateness.

For detailed information on use environments see: 

Device Use Environments

By understanding the device use environments and their existing design cues, mimicking or reflecting them on a device allows for visual coherency.

In cases where the design intent is to make the device ‘stand out’ in a particular environment, consider selecting contrasting finishes which can be found in the environment to achieve this. For example, in a Utility type environment where finishes are mostly matte and dull, adopting a lightly polished finish to the device can provide high contrast and thus allow the device to be emphasized more.

Simplicity is a commonly sought product attribute aiming to convey a sense of understandability, ease of operation/use and in not adding unnecessary visual distractions.

As a rule of thumb, adopt satin/matte, light and subtle textures to reinforce Simplicity in Radiology devices designed for Bayer.

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Reference List of Materials & Finishes

The following section outlines the main/ common materials and finishes recommended for a Radiology device. 

Note: Materials, finishes (and colors) outlined are for reference only. Materials selection and surface treatments should be made based on functional, performance and other physical requirements unique to the component/device being developed.

Soft Rubber/Silicones

Plastics

Metals (Machined & Cast)

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Summary

When applying materials & finished consider:

• Device Function: The functional & structural requirements needed for the device. Adopt smooth/light textures opposed to heavily textured options to communicate and allow for easy cleaning of surfaces and visual simplicity.
• Product Attributes: The targeted product characteristics you wish to embed into the device and communicate. Adopt satin/matte, light and subtle textures to reinforce Simplicity in a device.
• Use Environment: The relationship you wish to create between the device the use environment & related products.

A sense of simplicity is sought and achieved by adopting:

• Satin/matte, light and subtle finishes opposed to over highly polished, glossy finishes
• Smooth/light textures opposed to heavily textured options

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