Project Overview

Spectacle Society is a woman-owned Detroit shop selling independent eyewear, curated by founder Tina Arroyo, ABOC. It's built on quality, personal style, and old-fashioned customer service.

The illustrations. The design system is a library of illustrated parts: head shapes, mouths, hairstyles, and of course eyewear. Mix and match them and a community of unique people who wear glasses appears, reflecting the shop's belief in celebrating everyone's uniqueness. That community includes people of many races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, and abilities. The illustrations carry the brand's storytelling and replace the generic fashion photography the eyewear industry leans on.

The messaging. A flexible set of phrases that sound encouraging and empowering, with plays on "spec" and nods to inclusion and belonging in the Spectacle Society community.

The color. The palette is unexpected and memorable, and it references diversity in a critical, playful way. Instead of relying on skin tones from white to black, we used blue to move past stereotypical references to race and ethnicity, much like the multicolored characters in the 1990s TV series Doug.

Project Goals

• Create an inclusive identity that helps every customer feel their best in their eyewear

• Build an easy-to-use design system the owner can run day-to-day

• Reflect the quality of the eyewear and the service while staying approachable

Project Challenges

• COVID-19 changed how Spectacle Society would work with customers, so we added health and safety icons, such as masks, to the illustration set. They had to stay friendly and welcoming.

Project Impact

The identity won a Creative Communication Award in Brand Identity (December 2020), an Indigo Silver Medal in Branding (2020), and a Graphis Design Annual Honorable Mention.