The business challenge
Striking the balance between cosmetics and healthcare
Dr Anthony Rixon is a general practitioner and skin cancer expert who has practised full-time skin cancer medicine since 2010. In 2020, he opened a skin cancer clinic located in Wonthaggi, Victoria and approached Assemblo to seek support in creating an identity and brand for his business.
The brand needed to reflect the premium quality of skin cancer and medical cosmetic services on offer, which were equal to those available at high-end skin clinics located in the heart of Melbourne.
The main challenge was to clearly communicate the business’ two primary service streams: skin cancer services and medical cosmetic treatments. As such, the brand needed to remain gender neutral and not alienate any audience.
Dr Rixon sought to establish the clear brand perception of a premium, trustworthy and medically proven business, and to ultimately become a market leader in this space.
The insight
Closing the gap between surgeons and beauticians
While beauticians traditionally offer a high level of service, they aren’t doctors or dermatologists. They don’t have to follow the strict regulations of medical practices, which can be dangerous for consumers. On the other hand, doctors are experts but often don’t emphasise a unique customer service experience.
Dr Rixon sought to combine medical expertise with the service offering found at high-end cosmetic beauty clinics. His mission was to close the gap between beauticians and surgeons, removing the need for patients to see multiple people for their skin health needs.
Dr Rixon’s clinic is based in Bass Coast Shire, located in the south-eastern region of Victoria. Customers in this area would previously have had to travel to metropolitan Melbourne to access skin cancer services or medical cosmetic treatments with the same level of quality and expertise offered by Dr Rixon’s clinic.
With plans to eventually expand the business beyond the Bass Coast region, universal branding was an important consideration. However, the affinity between the surf beaches in the shire, the sun, and skin health provided a compelling case for linking the brand to its original location.
The idea
The one place for all your skin health needs
The brand name ‘Bass Coast Skin Doctors’ was developed to reflect the elevated nature of the clinic and its offering, while maintaining a strong connection to its Bass Coast Shire location.
The brand comprises unique visual and textual elements that combine harmoniously to form a cohesive visual story for the brand, while paying respect to its place of origin and providing a direct focus on the services provided.
The logo features the text ‘Bass Coast’ arrayed in a semi-circle above three wavy lines. As the key visual aspect of the logo, the waves possess three layers of symbolic meaning that are deeply resonant with the brand and its service offering, including:
- The layers of the skin, also known as the epidermis and dermis
- The ocean, highlighting the clinic’s location in the Bass Coast Shire
- UVA/UVB sun rays, which ties into the business’ skin cancer services.
The rounded arrangement of ‘Bass Coast’ above the waves is also reminiscent of a rising sun, again indicating the clinic’s seaside location.
The primary colour palette consists of black and white for a clean and contemporary look, as well as a complementary neutral colour reminiscent of a medium skin tone. The secondary palette introduces a range of additional hues inspired by natural elements and diverse skin tones.
Along with the identity and branding, Assemblo produced a number of brand assets and collateral for Bass Coast Skin Doctors, including business cards, appointment cards, gift vouchers, document letterheads, email signatures, clinic signage, and a brand style guide.
Assemblo also designed and developed the Bass Coast Skin Doctors website, with the aim to clearly distinguish between the business’ two service offerings: skin cancer services and medical cosmetics. We grouped all treatments and procedures under one of these two sections to ensure customers could easily navigate the website according to their specific needs. We also added supplementary content on different skin conditions and concerns and their recommended treatments to aid users in finding the right service. The website featured an integration with HotDoc for online bookings and was developed to help drive conversions.
The website created for Bass Coast Skin Doctors was a highly collaborative project, and involved Assemblo’s design, website development, content, traffic, and account management teams working closely together to create the highly polished, informative, and beautifully branded digital presence.
“Assemblo worked closely with our business to perfectly capture our vision and the subtle balance of both our markets. The design process was thorough, and they carefully considered every aspect of our business.”
Dr Anthony Rixon, Owner
The impact
The Bass Coast Skin Doctors brand and identity was extremely well received by Dr Rixon, his team, and the clinic’s customers.
The depth of information available on the website works to elevate the brand from its competition, with a strong emphasis on usability and clear organisation of comprehensive content. Users are highly engaged with the website, with hundreds signing up to the mailing list and booking appointments, supported by ongoing campaigns.
The launch of the brand and website have provided a strong base for future marketing activity, creating a striking and memorable experience for new customers as the business continues to grow and expand.