Frequently Asked Questions

Artery Studios creates customized biomedical scientific illustrations, animations and interactive media. Our illustrations are produced in a range of styles from diagrammatic/schematic black & white images to full-colour 3D portrayals. Similarly, animations are rendered in 2D or 3D, or a combination. These movies include whiteboard portrayals, through to detailed atmospheric 3D depictions of intracellular or surgical environments. Interactive media encompass anything from digital timelines to comprehensive PowerPointTM presentations.

Founded in 1992, Artery Studios is an established leader in the field, creating engaging and crystal-clear healthcare-related biomedical visuals that foster understanding. For over 30 years, we’ve worked in the areas of pharmaceutical, molecular, medical device, biotech, and radiological interpretation, advancing understanding of complex scientific concepts for patient education, investor relations, training, marketing & communications, publishing, and numerous other applications.

We go above and beyond to provide our clients with biomedical visuals that exceed expectations, while doing so with open communication and integrity.

Each of Artery Studios’ medical animators and illustrators has advanced training with a Master’s Degree in biomedical communications from an accredited medical school. Our team’s expertise is enhanced by having an MD on staff. Our specialized knowledge provides us with a deep understanding of the medical and scientific details of the projects we visualize and facilitates communication with consulting experts. Our Certified Medical Illustrators (CMI) have undergone rigorous assessment and earn continuing education credits to maintain their professional acumen.

The most efficient way to begin your communication project, is to email inquiries@arterystudios.com or call +1-800-721-1721 to arrange an intake meeting with one of our medical-visual experts. We will discuss details of your communication challenge with you, key messaging you’d like to focus on, and your timeline needs. Typically, an NDA is signed so you can rest assured that all engagements are confidential. We’ll also discuss what information we require – which can be uploaded to us. We’ll then conduct a comprehensive analysis of your needs, send a proposal outlining the visual assets we can produce for you (including fees), discuss this with you, and then proceed with creating your biomedical scientific illustrations, animations or other media. We work directly with your team to ensure our visuals accurately address all requirements. Upon completion, we’ll provide a secure link to download your visuals.

Start your project now by contacting us.

Delivery time depends on the scope and complexity of the project. The average turnaround for our biomedical visualizations is 3-6 weeks. This includes time to send draft components of the project for your review and to gather input from your consulting experts. If needed faster, we will attempt to accommodate shorter timelines, though additional costs may apply.

Occasionally, clients require our biomedical visuals ‘urgently’. To remain fair to other clients and to allow us to pay overtime and/or bring in additional resources, we charge a rush fee to accommodate short deadlines.

We always appreciate working with your consulting medical experts to ensure that our detailed visualizations conform to their expectations and high level of scrutiny.

Studies show that combining oral and visual modalities makes information more memorable for a longer period of time – especially when this involves complex topics like biomedical scientific matters. Adding a voice-over to an animation can reinforce key messaging and appeal to those viewers who have a strong auditory sensory processing ability.

A music track can often set the tone of the movie and add an additional element of professionalism. It can be used in the intro and outro and fade up and down throughout the movie to enhance the story being told – particularly if there are extended pauses in the voice-over. Additional sound features and auditory cues can augment the storytelling.

After an initial intake meeting (see What is the process for ordering biomedical scientific visuals?), we provide a comprehensive proposal outlining the details of what we can produce for you. Once this is approved, we begin our creative analysis and visual development, integrating your script (if a voice-over is desired) with your key messaging. Here are the main steps in our animation production process:

  1. Storyboard – We create a comprehensive document that includes thumbnails with corresponding notations of camera moves (including pans and zooms), labels and voice-over integration.
  2. Gather feedback/incorporate revisions – We request your input and will revise the storyboard content accordingly.
  3. Revised storyboard – We ask for your approval (or will integrate additional feedback).
  4. Voice-tests – After gathering your ideas for the voice actor (accent, male/female, young/mature, etc.) we send samples for you to select a voice artist. They’ll record a professional track that we integrate into the movie after you have approved the recording (and any revisions have been made).
  5. Screen mock-ups (colour comps) – We’ll send you key scene still(s) for you to get a sense of the look and feel of the visual content.
  6. Draft footage – We’ll request your input at the draft stage and will revise it accordingly.
  7. Revised draft – Another draft will be provided for your feedback (and be incorporated – if any changes are needed).
  8. Final movie – A link to the final movie will be delivered to you for download in hi-res mp4 format.

After an initial intake meeting with you (see What is the process for ordering biomedical scientific visuals?), we’ll send a comprehensive proposal outlining the details of the illustrations we can produce. After this is approved, we’ll analyze the technical/medical/surgical/pathological or other scientific information related to your project. Here are the main steps in our illustration creative process:

  1. Draft illustrations – We create comprehensive draft images that typically include titles and labels.
  2. Gather feedback/incorporate revisions – We request your input and will revise the content of the draft illustrations accordingly.
  3. Revised draft illustrations – Another set of draft illustrations will be provided for your feedback.
  4. Final illustrations – After sign-off of the drafts, we’ll create final images. A link will be delivered to you for download of the illustrations in the format/size/resolution you require.