BRANDING LEGEND AND FORMER Steve Jobs collaborator Ken Segall (he put the “i” in iMac) based an entire book on his 40 “heroes of simplicity.” Well, we’ve discovered our own hero of simplicity, Dr. Sarah K. Ebeling, founder of Wink Family Eye Care in Chanhassen, MN, who has built a successful optometry practice with a distinctive look that many independent ECPs would struggle to match, and which was recently applied to a second location in St. Louis Park, another suburb of Minneapolis.
“We stick to the motto ‘less is more,’” says Ebeling. “We really have only three key brand elements — our Wink green, the logo, and the dots from our wall — but we consistently use them everywhere to create brand recognition.”
Ebeling describes the overall look as “fresh, modern and clean.” She purposely chose green based on something she learned in color perception class in optometry school. “The wavelength of 555nm is the easiest color for the human eye to see. I remember thinking if I ever had my own practice, I’d use that same green. We have. Everywhere.” The color crops up on Wink’s exam chair, paper towel holders, pens, custom wall art and beyond.
The Wink logo is placed tastefully on anything given to patients, including lens cloths and spray bottles, bags and pens. It’s all green (of course) with the logo and social media info printed on them — nothing more.
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The same consideration that went into the choice of color goes into the composition of social media imagery. “We try to take most images that are put on social media platforms in front of the green-dot Wink wall, all with a similar filter and light to create the same bright, clean vibe that they can expect when people come into our office.
According to Ebeling, Wink’s largest demographic is young families, so the space was intentionally designed to appeal to young children without turning off adults. “Everything we do can transition from pediatric to adult seamlessly, and it carries over to our marketing. Everything is bright, cheerful and fresh but still modern enough with simple elegance to appeal to our adult patients.”
She is quick to credit Edana Hoehn at Mustard Stripe in Minneapolis for “translating the concepts in my brain into reality. She’s a genius. Our space was designed by Bob Shaffer of The Foundation Architects in Minneapolis. Also, genius. He came up with the pop-artish wall art of green dots that spells ‘Wink’, which we use as a backdrop for images on social media, on our website, and even in a few of our printable graphics.”
To optical retailers looking to elevate their brand image, Ebeling’s advice is… well, it goes without saying: “Commit and keep it simple. Build a great marketing team who really understands your vision and can make it reality.”
Green is Good
Wink’s color scheme is based on lessons Sarah Ebeling learned about color perception in optometry school.
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Logo Motive
The Wink logo is placed on everything handed to patients, from pens to lens cloths.
A Little Dotty
The green-dot Wink wall is used as a backdrop for images posted to social media.