WHEN strips the fear around fertility with a warm, approachable identity by Universal Favourite

“Traditionally, brands in the fertility space are designed to build trust in their medical expertise,” says Universal Favourite’s Design Director Mike Kirkpatrick. “But this narrow focus has resulted in a category that feels overly clinical and sometimes cold, losing sight of the real people at the heart of it all.” This insight steered the approach the Sydney-based design studio took when Australia’s first at-home egg count testing service, WHEN, reached out to create a brand identity. Here, they saw an opportunity to redefine this space by developing a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand that feels equally at home in both medical settings and retail environments, seamlessly blending medical credibility with compassionate warmth – expression with information. WHEN’s identity is anchored by a clear and confident wordmark, which, given the strength of the name, felt best set in uppercase. This is accompanied with an organic cell shape that reacts dynamically to its surroundings. “We liked how this was a nice metaphor for the ups and downs of a deeply personal fertility journey, as well as being a visual shortcut to fertility,” notes Kirkpatrick. To further enhance the brand’s sense of warmth and personal connection, a series of icons were developed to capture the different states of mind one might experience around this sensitive topic. These icons, which follow the same visual language as the logo, add flexibility and expression to the brand, particularly when used alongside intimate portraiture. Used across the entirety of the identity – from the wordmark to copy – the brand’s typeface, ABC Diatype, was chosen for its modern and scientific edge, bringing calm and clarity to all communications. Paired with a light and neutral colour palette of lemon and soft tones, the overall design exudes warmth and accessibility.