DESIGNING HIS OPTOMETRIC business, A Proper View, which opened in Winston-Salem, NC, in 2018, Dr. Andrew Bradbury drew inspiration from his surroundings. The practice is nestled on the historic Reynolda Estate of tobacco tycoon Richard Joshua Reynolds, sharing the grounds with an early 20th-century colonial revival-style home.
“We knew our brand needed to be traditional and timeless,” Bradbury recalls. “The Reynolda Estate’s architecture and beautiful gardens undoubtedly influenced our branding and the personalized care we wanted for our patients.”
The overall impression is one of elegance, with clean lines, a discreetly deployed glasses icon and gold details creating a classic, uncluttered feel, befitting A Proper View’s discerning clientele, whom Bradbury describes as “individuals who desire personalized, quality eyecare along with an eagerness to support independent, local businesses” and who are after the best in independent eyewear, “whether they’re intrigued by more classic brands like Barton Perreira or after something more unique like Matttew.”
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To keep things consistent, the business has locked in on Coustard and Brandon Grotesque as its primary and secondary fonts, respectively. “We have a very specific shade of gold that we make sure to use across all of our branding,” says Bradbury. “We love to use our glasses icon from our primary logo as much as possible. You will see it included on our cleaning cloths and cleaning spray along with most direct mail or digital marketing.” Other branded items include business cards, the website and social media posts. “We do create custom flyers and cards for office events and have created ‘thank you’ cards along with a ‘how to’ card for cleaning your glasses that we slip into each glasses case.”
Most of the brand design work was handled in-house, except for the top-line logo, which an independent designer was brought in to help create. “It took a bit of back and forth but we’re super thrilled with the end result. We like to keep true to our desire to support independent businesses, so most of our branding material production is through local companies along with a few family-owned companies a bit farther from home.”
When it comes to branding optical businesses, Bradbury says, “I think the biggest thing is to start with the end in mind. What do you want your business to look and feel like 10 or more years in the future? Use your branding and imagery to engage with the audience that best suits your desires for your business,” he counsels. “With all that our field has to offer these days, there is no one ‘right answer’ as to what an optical or optometry office should look and feel like.”
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