Branding and Logos for Dentists
Different professions have different challenges for designers. Designing a visual identity for a dental practice is an interesting challenge.
There are a lot of bad dentist logos out there. Possibly more than any profession I can think of. I worked in Copenhagen’s Rigshospital’s Odontologisk Videncenter on their Dental Trauma Guide website quite a few years ago, which got me interested in branding within dentistry and what worked and what didn’t, perhaps that is why I notice dentist’s logos.
Almost always the same clichés: a tooth, a smile, a toothbrush. Mix them together all to be a practice that’s apparently friendly, fun and great with children.
Unfortunately, you’ve also created something that looks like thousands of other dental practices, and often looks amateur rather than professional.
The colour palette isn’t really the issue. White, navy blue, turquoise and the occasional touch of pink have become almost universal in dentistry, and they work. They’re clean, clinical, calming and trustworthy.
It’s the imagery that’s the problem.
You’re a dentist. People already know what dentists do. They don’t need a smiling tooth to explain it. And children aren’t choosing which practice the family visits anyway.
There are no ‘clever’ combinations of a tooth, teeth, a smile and a toothbrush, that haven’t been tried. And there are no good ones. Or, if we’re being literal, why not use sharp metal instruments, pain and blood? They’re every bit as representative of dentistry as a smiling tooth.
A logo isn’t there to explain your profession.
It’s there to distinguish you from everyone else.
Dentists are healthcare professionals. Patients want competence, confidence and trust. Your visual identity should communicate professionalism first.
The logo should reflect the quality of your practice, your attention to detail and the confidence patients can place in you. It should feel timeless, considered and professional.
After all, nobody has ever chosen a dentist because they thought:
“Oh, look… they’ve got a smile in their logo. How clever. They fix smiles, AND get this, they are friendly, they must be amazing!!”
Invest in a professional identity instead, and you will communicate your professionalism. Or, just write it in Helvetica, no symbol, almost certainly a massive improvement.
The biggest misconception about logos is that they need to explain what a business does. They don’t. Nobody expects Apple to sell apples or Nike to have trainers in their logo. Dentistry somehow went down a clichéd path and everybody copied everyone else, and really the only profession I can think of, oh wait, hairdressers… got to have a head and a pair of scissors as nobody knows what a hairdresser does… Got to be very, very literal.
If my dentist sees this, your logo is awesome, this is not directed at you, your logo is brilliant. Please be careful with that sharp metal pointy thing…