Boutique Branding: A Strong Identity for York Opticians

Project Overview

Rae & Rae is the realisation of Georgia Rae’s dream of owning and running her own optician’s practice ever since she started working in one at the age of 16.

When her employer at the time decided to vacate the property on York’s trendy Bishy (Bishopthorpe) Road, she saw an opportunity to build a successful business in a location with a history of optician services going back to the 1990s. With her vision and dedication, she was determined to make the business thrive where others had not.

Georgia contacted me once she’d secured the property. She’d decided on a great name for the business and needed a strong visual identity to compliment it that would fit right in on the popular parade of independent shops and eateries. Georgia had a clear vision for the vibe of the identity and the character and tone of voice for the brand, and once the business had launched, was happy for me to riff on that vision when creating promotional material.

Once the identity was approved I was tasked with producing various branded materials. I liaised with a local signage company to help implement the shop fascia, outdoor divider graphics, indoor wall graphics and a large 3D representation of the logo for the shop’s back wall. I also designed business cards and was commissioned by Rae & Rae to produce artwork for a branded canvas that I’d included on interior mock-ups, as they liked the idea of including it in the shop.

I was also tasked with designing and building their website and creating a set of graphic templates that Rae & Rae could use to create their own branded social media posts. Using the visual identity on social media channels was a clear indication that Georgia understood the power of using the brand on all customer touchpoints to leverage the power of consistency and memorability.

The business has been a success, in no small part to Georgia’s clear vision and great business sense, a total understanding of her target market and a laser-sharp focus on incredible customer service.

Since the launch of Rae & Rae, they’ve tasked me with creating web banners, magazine adverts, outdoor banners and other promotional material and I was involved in the recent shop refurb to ensure that brand colours and wall graphics were implemented correctly.

If you find yourself on Bishy Road you should pop in there — the place looks fantastic and if you’re looking for exemplary eyecare coupled with the coolest frames in town then you can’t go wrong.

“I couldn’t recommend Col enough! He has recently helped me with my website, branding and online presence for my new optical practice. He somehow manages to take what is in your head and turns it into something you never thought was possible! Since opening, I have people complimenting both the branding and website on a daily basis. The ultimate professional who goes the extra mile. Nothing was ever too much trouble and I hope to work with him again in the future!”

Georgia Rae, Co-Owner, Rae & Rae Opticians, York

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