Every business is so unique. That may sound obvious, but many lump businesses in the same industry together as if they're all the same. We have the pleasure of seeing firsthand just how much businesses (even ones in the same industry) differ. For example, we're sure you have your favorite coffee shop, right? Likely because it has a certain feel, comfy chairs, your favorite drink, exceptional service, etc. Well, the same goes for real estate agents, plumbers and dental practice. They all have unique traits. So what's one surefire way not to get lumped together with competitors in your industry?Individualize your branding to showcase your business' personality and differentiators.

Challenge

We had the pleasure of working with Dr. Christine Hammer, DDS as she prepared to opened her own orthodontic clinic. She had worked in the field for years and was ready to venture out on her after collecting things she saw working well and not so well in the industry.If you get the chance to meet Christine, you'll quickly notice her bubbly personality and infectious smile. Soon into chatting with her about her vision for her practice it was clear that she truly wanted to help grows people confidence by improving their smile. In fact her mission for the business centered around that very idea. But while her mission and vision for the company was clear, how to portray it to potential clients was not.So we let Dr. Hammer be the expert in teeth straightening while brought in our expertise in dental branding (and branding in general) to create a unique and differentiating brand concept.

Solution

Wanting to infuse Christine's personality into the brand, we just had to include a smile. However, a smile has definitely been done before, so we play around with ideas to make a smile feel different, serve a purpose and not look like a cartoony/toothy smile. The simple, but expressive, smile we landed on represents the confidence that True North Orthodontics hopes to instill in each client. It's subtle and aims to make viewers smile a little themselves just by looking at it.More more hidden elements in the logos is the use of the upward facing semblance of an arrow on the high point of the smile. It hints at the northern region the business is located in along with the business' name. Furthermore, the treatment of the name and the smile are brought together through the use of their lowercase font. The font's graceful curves allows the name to not only compliment the smile icon but to also include an air of simplicity and technology.And how did the Owner and Lead Orthodontists of True North feel about the new brand?

"I'm just grateful to have been able to work with the Šek team for this project. I love the brand. It really captures all that I hope the practice will be."

- Dr. Christine Hammer, DDS

Want More Medical and Dental Branding?

To get a sense for how much branding can vary even within the same or similar industries, check out the brand we created for Port City Dental and Advanced Surgical Associates of Northern Minnesota.Fun fact: Port City Dental is owned by Christine's husband, also a Dr. Hammer, and we just love the irony of their last name and their profession. Two Dr. Hammers gentle working on teeth :)