When a very ​“cool” campaign turned very cold.

I first planned to show this collec­tion of the artwork of which I felt quite proud. Now, I feel that I should explain why I was so very sad (not about my loss of work) when the educa­tional campaign ended.

The ​“cool” campaign:
From1978 to 1986, I worked with many phar­ma­ceu­tical / health­care agen­cies on assign­ments from Cutter Labo­ra­to­ries. I knew nothing about the Cutter Labo­ra­to­ries, and in those days and I would have found it diffi­cult to do research. I was inter­preting the copy of many agency copy­writers for Cutter Biolog­ical — presenting various patient educa­tional media for hemo­philiac patients and their families.

First, there was a kit of 14 exer­cise cards. These were drawn in black line and printed with over­lays of acetate for areas of color.

“Inside A Bleeding Joint”, a 20 minute color slide presen­ta­tion with cued sound, included two presen­ta­tions which were offered to educate about the hemo­philia condi­tion: ​“A few words from Harold as you start your home care program“ (more than 50 slides) and heredity: ​“Harold talks about how he inher­ited hemo­philia” (more than 70 slides). Saving time and money, the two full slide shows were illus­trated with felt markers.
Because a slide projector would show a patch or any correc­tions of the art — if I made a mistake, I would have to start over.
Below are two exam­ples of the art for slides. The two take-home brochures, that used some of the slide art, were used in sequence with the presen­ta­tion. I also show the box that held the slide tray and audio cassette.

A Few Words 

Spread 

spread 

Spread 

Spread 

Box with Label 

There were three, 24 page, story­books, each needing 10 full-page illus­tra­tions. There were three matching 16 page coloring books using just the black line art. All of these were for the young patients to read and learn about coping with their phys­ical prob­lems. The game, folded to fit with the books was offered also. For the finished painted art, I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Radiant Concen­trated Water­colors. I was able to paint in my studio at home.

The story­books were written by: Nan Fried­lander / Designed and Illus­trated by: Ann Thompson, 1978 – 1980. The phar­ma­ceu­tical / health­care agen­cies for all of the above jobs: 1977, Barnum Commu­ni­ca­tions / 1978, Vicom Asso­ciates / 1979 &1980, Bachrach Ketchum

ECHO — Educa­tion and Commu­ni­ca­tion for Hemo­phil­iacs and Others.
These assign­ments came to me from various phar­ma­ceu­tical ad agencies.
The 19 issues of the publi­ca­tion, ​“Echo” had many infor­ma­tive arti­cles and reports for the family and patients of hemophilia.
This center spread, ​“Just For Fun”, was for the young­sters who had the condi­tion. There were letters from fami­lies, sent back to the publi­ca­tion with thanks for the two pages of interest for their child. The finished art was rendered in markers. There were 19 assign­ments for this publi­ca­tion. In 1981, I got the first assign­ments from Bachrach Ketchum / Ketchum Medical. In 1983 ​“ECHO” moved to NYC to Gross Townsend Frank Inc. — and then in June of 1984 to Rolf Werner Rosen­thal, Inc. — and in 1985 to World Health. There were various art direc­tors and writers. I was never informed of the change of agency, the jobs just appeared, by phone and mail, in time to produce by the next issue. I would send (by mail) the subjects as a layout showing how the type would fit. When OK’d, I would send the art areas in place for the agency to prepare it for the publication.

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Echo Just for Fun pages 

Assign­ments for the ECHO ​“Just for Fun” pages: 1981 – 1983, Bots­ford Ketchum / 1983, Gross, Townsend Frank, Inc. / 1984, Rolf Werner Rosen­thal / 1985 &1986, World Health

turned very cold:
I had felt that my illus­tra­tions helped educate and support those with hemo­philiac condi­tions. It was the one time that I felt that I had made a patient feel better about their need to take on preven­tive care.
This, one of my most rewarding series of assign­ments, now reminds me of the fact that as I worked — I was not aware of ​“the whole story of the phar­ma­ceu­tical compa­nies nor the risks of their products”.

I was receiving assign­ments for the ​“ECHO” in July of 1982, when the concen­trated blood plasma prod­ucts were found to be a source of HIV and hepatitis C. The two prod­ucts (concen­trated plasma) had been collected from donors that had no previous testing. Cutter Labs, was one of four supplier of these tainted blood prod­ucts, and their actions after that date caused the horrible world-wide tragedy for hemo­phil­iacs, of all ages.
This was the time, before the public had easy access of infor­ma­tion on the web. The Infor­ma­tion about infec­tions didn’t reach patients, or me.

Cutter Labo­ra­to­ries began in 1897. Bayer, the German phar­ma­ceu­tical company founded in1863, acquired the Miles Corpo­ra­tion in Elkhart, Indiana in 1978 — which at that same time merged with Bayer’s acquired Cutter Labs. Cutter Biolog­i­cals was publicly shown to be ​“a divi­sion of Miles Labs” to hide Bayer’s WWII history. Bayer is now in many USA loca­tions and has plans to merge with Monsanto.
Below are early images of these three laboratories:

Hemo­phil­iacs, I read today, are offered two types of prod­ucts: plasma-delivered and recom­bi­nant factor concen­trates — and that each of these is treated exten­sively to elim­i­nate viruses and other contaminants.

I hope that there are new teaching publi­ca­tions and other items to lift the spirits of persons who have hemophilia.
Ann Thompson