Healthcare advertising has traditionally relied on clinical imagery, cautious language, and functional design, resulting in a conservative visual culture. Xu Han, Art Director, demonstrates that pharmaceutical communications can be as visually ambitious and emotionally resonant as leading consumer campaigns. His work on the Novartis “Sjögren’s Sjöuts” campaign exemplifies the impact of combining surrealist aesthetics, AI driven creative processes and empathy in scientific communication.
Han’s campaign has received significant international recognition, including three finalist nominations at the New York Festivals Health Awards in Film Technique/Craft: Sound Design & Music, Direction, and Production Design/Art Direction. It was also entered into ADC 2026 in Advertising Art Direction, Experiential Design Installations, and Motion/Film Craft Animation. The campaign doubled industry engagement benchmarks, achieved a 76% engagement rate on its digital platform, and generated high-value actions at four times the expected rate. It was also recognized by myCME & Haymarket Medical Education, Prime Continuing Medical Education, and The Sjögren’s Foundation.
For nearly a century, Sjögren’s Disease has been misunderstood and oversimplified. Many healthcare professionals have viewed it primarily as excessive dryness, overlooking its complex causes. This limited perspective has serious consequences. Patients experience not only dryness but also fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, anxiety and potentially irreversible organ damage. The disease varies widely, presenting a unique and challenging set of symptoms for each patient.
As Art Director, Han identified the core challenge as perceptual rather than informational. Healthcare professionals had access to data but lacked empathy for patients’ lived experiences. Han focused on bridging the gap between clinical observations and patient realities. To improve treatment, the campaign first needed to reshape how clinicians understand life with the disease.
Han led the visual system design, AI workflow development, and multi-market execution for the campaign. His creative breakthrough was inspired by surrealism, particularly the work of Salvador Dalí. He recognized that surrealism’s visual language could effectively convey the unpredictable and shifting nature of Sjögren’s Disease. Surrealism provided imagery that is both accessible and evocative of the complex patient experience.
This was not decorative surrealism. Han reimagined surrealist aesthetics as a representation of pain and suffering that is all too real for patients. The surreal quality in the campaign reflects the healthcare professional’s perspective. Because they have not experienced the disease themselves, their understanding of it remains fragmented and incoherent much like a surrealist painting. By balancing the familiar with the utterly otherworldly, Han underscored a simple but powerful message: clinicians may see dryness, but a systemic disease is wreaking havoc beneath the surface.
This approach challenged traditional healthcare advertising, which often relies on literal medical illustrations or patient testimony. Han’s use of art historical references as the main visual language showed that artistic ambition and medical accuracy can coexist. Metaphor can communicate the emotional reality of a disease more powerfully than clinical imagery alone.
As Art Director, Han developed assets for a complex, multi touchpoint ecosystem spanning digital, experiential and international conference settings. The campaign launched on October 23, 2025, first on the Sjögren’s Sjöuts HCP website, then expanded to a full 360 degree experience at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2025 conference. The animation’s art style was directed by An, who envisioned Sjögren’s disease as a desert region inhabited by strange beings, each of whom represented a distinct symptom. As they struggled with the loads they stood for, these figures scuttled, bobbed and stalked through the surroundings. Dryness was present in the landscape but deliberately positioned as a backdrop rather than the focal point. The animation moved from desolation to hope, showing that while untreated Sjögren’s is devastating, new avenues of treatment offer a path forward. The production was executed in partnership with Not To Scale, a New York-based production company.
At ACR 2025, Han’s visual system was featured in an immersive booth experience. Attendees encountered a large, dry, cracked mouth representing the campaign’s surrealist vision and the initial symptom of the disease. Inside, they viewed the animated film which prepared them for deeper engagement with clinical content. The experience was supported by promotional touchpoints, including elevator wraps, bus wraps, Uber integrations, and conference sponsorships, to build recognition and drive attendance.
Han adapted the campaign for multiple international markets, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and others. The visual system addressed culturally diverse healthcare audiences while preserving the artistic consistency. This international strategy broadened the campaign’s appeal and increased global recognition of Sjögren’s disease as a severe systemic autoimmune disease.
The “Sjögren’s Sjöuts” campaign surpassed industry benchmarks in all key areas. The digital platform achieved a 76% engagement rate, double the industry standard, and high-value actions occurred at four times the benchmark rate. Website traffic increased by 83% during the ACR conference.
At the ACR 2025 conference, the Novartis booth achieved a 284% increase in badge scans compared to 2024. The booth recorded a 32% engagement rate and an average dwell time of 5.4 minutes, both exceeding conference averages of 24.4% and 4.8 minutes respectively. Healthcare professionals formed lines to photograph themselves in front of the surrealist booth entrance and 98% of attendees surveyed agreed the booth offered meaningful opportunities to connect with peers.
The campaign’s influence extended beyond paid channels. The Sjögren’s Disease Foundation promoted the campaign through newsletters, increasing organic reach. Healthcare professionals shared content during the conference, generating authentic discussion. Han’s work was recognized by myCME & Haymarket Medical Education and Prime Continuing Medical Education, further validating its contribution to professional learning.
Awards Han won with The “Sjögren’s Sjöuts” campaign: New York Festivals Health Awards Finalist in Film Technique/Craft: Sound Design & Music; New York Festivals Health Awards Finalist in Film Technique/Craft: Direction; New York Festivals Health Awards Finalist in Film Technique/Craft: Production Design/Art Direction. ADC 2026 entries: Pharma Advertising Art Direction; Experiential Design Installations; Motion/Film Craft Animation.
Xu Han is an award winning Art Director specializing in healthcare storytelling, visual systems and emerging creative technologies. His portfolio includes work for global luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Audemars Piguet, as well as healthcare campaigns for Novartis and Novavax. A D&AD Portfolio Winner, Creative Floor Award winner, and Manny Award winner, Han has received multiple finalist nominations at the New York Festivals Health Awards and ADC 2026 entries in three pharma disciplines. He continues to advance AI-augmented creative workflows, raising the standards of healthcare advertising.
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