Joyous
A brave new brand for a ketamine therapy tech company
The Client
The Client
Joyous PBC
Joyous PBC
ArtCenter — MDes Project
My Role
My Role
Research and Insights Brand Strategy Brand Identity
Research and Insights Brand Strategy Brand Identity
Project Team
Project Team
Solo Project
Solo Project
About this project
The Goal
Develop a strategic rebrand that positions Joyous as the leading telehealth provider for at-home ketamine therapy
Joyous is a telehealth company that provides at-home, low-dose ketamine therapy for people struggling with depression and anxiety. As a Public Benefit Corporation, their mission is to make treatment more accessible through an AI-powered platform that delivers personalized guidance at scale. Helping more than 80,000 patients access care so far.
The Problem
Efficiency was solving the business problem, but creating a trust problem
Growing concerns around the customer experience were beginning to overshadow Joyous's mission and impact. AI and digital therapeutics are quickly becoming the norm in healthcare, but patient expectations haven't changed. People still want to feel seen, supported, and connected to their care, especially when navigating mental health challenges. Through patient sentiment analysis across Reddit, TrustPilot, and the Better Business Bureau, I uncovered a consistent tension. Patients reported life-changing results from the treatment itself, particularly those with treatment-resistant depression, yet expressed frustration with support, logistics, and the inability to reach a human when they needed help.
A brand audit revealed the same pattern. In its pursuit of efficiency and scale, Joyous had unintentionally stripped away much of the warmth and humanity that patients were looking for. For a vulnerable audience seeking hope and support, the experience felt increasingly transactional when it needed to feel personal.
The Solution
Build the brand around the belief that no one is unhealable
Research revealed a powerful truth at the heart of the business. Nearly 30% of people living with depression and anxiety are considered treatment-resistant, and Joyous exists to help those who have exhausted every other option. I translated that insight into a brand platform centered on the belief that healing is always possible, even when people feel like they've run out of answers.
The verbal identity was designed to feel supportive, wholehearted, and courageous, meeting people where they are without minimizing what they're carrying. The visual identity draws inspiration from the healing process itself, using a graphic device to represent the nonlinear path of rewiring the brain. Photography focused on quiet moments of peace, joy, and contentment, helping patients imagine what's possible on the other side of recovery.
The Impact
Delivered a complete brand platform, visual identity system, verbal identity and tone of voice guidelines, packaging system, out-of-home campaign, patient portal redesign, and generative Path Generator tool. Developed as graduate work at ArtCenter College of Design.
About this project
