McKesson’s marketing director said “you’ve done great work for us in the past but on this one we want to keep it really simple.” He handed me a sketch illustrating the company’s model, “just text and something like this.” Although the schedule was tight and the budget nearly non-existent I asked for a day or so to think about it. Graphic design, at its best can clarify complexity for diverse, non-expert audiences. 

This seemed like one of those opportunities.

McKesson is the largest pharmaceutical distributor in North America. Their software and business services connect millions of doctors, patients, and health plans. The original sketch described a process whereby resources gathered at one level flowed throughout complimentary channels to be broadly distributed at another level. Information derived from the latter facilitates and improves the process throughout all levels of every division.

Simply put, when rotated to a vertical axis the process is fundamentally similar to that of a tree. Stock photography and simple information graphics expedited production and limited costs. The metaphorical interpretation helps readers appreciate McKesson’s business model in a visually engaging way.