A Style Guide for Contact Lens Branding

Contact lens branding has traditionally been fairly uniform, with many brands sharing similar design elements.

Cover: Dimple Branding by Universal Favourite

These common visual aspects are typically focused on conveying a message of comfort, hydration, and hygiene—key qualities that consumers look for in contact lenses when thinking about eye health and convenience in their daily routines. These themes are consistently seen throughout online shops and product packaging in an effort to immediately communicate these features.

However, with more creative and vibrant packaging trends on the rise, contact lenses are adapting to these new motifs while remaining true to the shared message most, if not all, contact lens brands wish to express to shoppers.

Here’s a look at the current state of contact lens branding.

Common Design Motifs

Contact lens branding often focuses on conveying comfort and moisture, which is reflected in common design elements. Many brands use similar color schemes, imagery and shapes to assure consumers that their contacts are high-quality.

The selection of contact lenses on popular online stores like Target Optical clearly showcases these shared design elements used by major brands. Contact lenses like the Acuvue Oasys from Johnson & Johnson and the Dailies Aquacomfort Plus from Alcon use blue, white or turquoise colors that often express calm, purity and cleanliness, immediately telling consumers that the contacts will offer the same experience.

Blue is also commonly associated with trust, making consumers feel more confident about purchasing from a reliable brand. The imagery of water or curved lines can indicate hydration, a crucial component that ensures contact lenses stay comfortable on the eye. Simple fonts, typically sans serif ones, keep the design simple and clean.

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A post shared by ACUVUE (@acuvue)

Other brands like Biotrue and Biofinity don’t use these common motifs but retain the message of cleanliness and reliability through minimalistic design and cool color schemes like green and purple. Curved lines and round shapes also evoke feelings of comfort and softness, as opposed to angular lines that look sharp.

These inviting details allow contact lens consumers to feel confident in purchasing a clean and trusted brand, and it can be more appealing to first-time wearers who may still be apprehensive about trying them out. 

Disrupting Contact Lens Branding

While common motifs present in a lot of contact lens branding are tried and true, many companies are now seeking to stand out on the shelves using striking visual elements that still convey the same messages while looking more creative and unique.

Contact lens and hyaluronic acid brand Kilala uses different design approaches for each one of their collections, but still retains a fresh and bubbly visual language throughout their packaging. The Poompoom Hyaluronic Acid collection is inspired by balloons, and the translucent, pastel-colored ones on the packaging give the impression of hydration and elasticity, bringing to mind the thin and light sheen of contact lenses.

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A post shared by KILALA EYE (@kilalaeye_official)

Their fruit-themed colored contact lens collection uses bright color schemes and low-poly fruit illustrations to communicate fun without sacrificing contact lens imagery.

Australia-based Dimple, a direct-to-consumer daily contact lens subscription service, uses bold colors and shapes to make the brand feel more friendly and approachable rather than sterile.

The design elements, like circles with different hues and patterns, also serve a purpose. The various designs are inspired by how people tend to have different prescriptions for each eye, and the circles correspond to each power number. By displaying them on each blister pack, consumers can have an easier time identifying which contact goes in which eye, and the eye-catching details stand out when they aren’t wearing glasses or contacts.

Contact lens branding has certainly evolved throughout the years, adapting to design trends and addressing common design flaws to make the experience less daunting and more pleasant.

While brands have different approaches to elements and details, the message of cleanliness, trust and comfort has often remained the same.

For more branding inspiration and guides like this, check out our previous features here.