IF THE MARK of a successful brand is its ability to convey the “personality” of a business while visually tying all of its offerings together, then EyeShop Optical in Lewis Center, OH, knocks it out of the park by any measure.
According to owner Dr. Cynthia Sayers, “Whimsical, welcoming and contemporary” is what she and her team were shooting for when they sat down with Meg Russell of Meg Russell Design to bring their vision to life. “She helped with the initial concepts and we’ve taken it from there.”
They sure have… “We incorporate the brand any way possible,” says Sayers, pointing to the practice’s business cards, rack cards — which go in every frame bag — postcards for recall, the website, branded lens cleaner, EyeShop T-shirts… even the store’s eyeglass donation jar. The practice’s name is also deployed skillfully. “We play on EyeShop a lot. Even our discount frame and lens package is referred to as ‘EyeDeal,’” she says.
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Located in a fast-growing suburb of Columbus, EyeShop’s core demographic is families, so its use of colors and a starburst has a cool factor for teens and kids, says Sayers, “but we also represent the friendly, cozy atmosphere — in our slogans — to make mom and dad feel comfortable as well.” The business’s slogans help frame EyeShop as “a different kind of eyecare experience” and a place “where patients feel both seen and heard.”
The brand’s primary inspiration was the human eye. “I wanted a ‘play’ on the eye colors so we started off with blue, green and shades of brown in our initial foray,” she says, though the shade of blue they chose — and now refer to as “EyeShop blue” — has come to dominate and is present on the walls and most places Sayers can incorporate it. The starburst in the logo is representative of an iris “without being so obvious.” It also provided the memorable symbol she was looking for, similar to Nike’s iconic “swoosh.” Throughout, the messaging relies heavily on the Avenir and Bodoni fonts.
Sayers reminds her peers not to stop at being great at what they do — you have to get the message out and the look of your practice is part of that. “Image is everything,” she says. “Don’t be basic. Find the vibe that conveys who you are and how you want to practice. Your image may not be for everyone and that’s OK.
Stand out. Find your voice. In devising a brand I went through brands I connected with, colors that made me happy, words that described my personality. Those all came together to make EyeShop.”
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