Acara Brands the Medspa Industry

Jennifer O’Connor is Acara Partners’ lead designer and art director, specializing in brand and marketing design for many of the firms’ clients. We sat down with her to discuss her work with Acara, her tips for creating the perfect logo and what it’s like to have designed more logos for medical aesthetic practices than anyone else.

Acara Partners offers two unique services to its clients and O’Connor works closely with both sides. For the clients who work with Acara to start their medspa, O’Connor works with them to create a logo, a brand image and all of the materials that are used to represent the new business. For the clients who also work with Acara’s marketing team, O’Connor is there to help as the brand advocate.

When creating a brand from the ground up, O’Connor likes to begin by learning the “why” of the client. Taking the time to get to know the clients and why they decided to open a medspa allows her to begin to envision the brand in her mind.

“I like to explore a lot of different options when it comes to logos, typefaces, color and even brand names,” says O’Connor. “This part of the process is very collaborative and I often offer them several different options, which are then workshopped down to one, because I want the client to feel comfortable with what I am offering them. This is their business and I want to help make sure every aspect of it resonates with them.”

After the initial brand image is decided, O’Connor also creates branded collateral, which includes brochures, business cards and, most importantly, the website. To O’Connor, the website is the first taste in what is working and what isn’t, in terms of design. If all the branded collateral flows nicely with the brand itself, then it is the website that ties it all together.

During her time at Acara Partners, O’Connor has designed dozens of logos within the medical aesthetic industry. Her favorite part of creating a brand, however, is how it helps others to follow their passion.

“I’m a creative person by nature, so I love the idea of creating something that’s tangible,” says O’Connor. “I pour my heart into the designs, but at the end of the day it’s for someone else. It’s serving their purpose. Getting to enjoy what I do while also helping someone else with their business has to be one of the best feelings.”

When asked what her tips are for creating the perfect brand, O’Connor provided the following:

Look around and understand the industry you’re in. You need to have a good base knowledge of who you’re working with to successfully design something that fits for them.

Explore a lot of different venues and don’t pigeonhole yourself. Design is tricky and it’s hard to constantly find that new look for each client. The more you consider options that you’ve never tried before, the easier it is to have that ‘lightbulb’ moment and create something that’s just right.

Refine it constantly. You’re going to be doing lots of revisions and many little tweaks. Embrace it. This will make your product so much better in the end.

Don’t be afraid of change.