Spectacle Society
Role: Lead Brand Strategist, Brand Designer, CX Designer, and Illustrator (as Unsold Studio)
Project Duration: Winter 2020–Present
Project Location: Detroit, MI
The eyewear industry is often dominated by "flawless" corporate fashion photography that reinforces narrow beauty standards and feels exclusionary to the average person. Spectacle Society, a woman-owned boutique in Detroit’s historic Corktown, wanted to break this mold. By mirroring the owner’s commitment to radical accessibility, the brand celebrates the true diversity of the local community—all without the need for a massive corporate budget. To the owner and lead optician, eyewear is more than a medical necessity; it’s an invitation to curate an eyeglass wardrobe that empowers every wearer to stop blending in and start making a spectacle.
The Strategy
Our goal was to move away from the "flawless" and often exclusionary photography typical of the eyewear industry. Instead, we built a strategy centered on accessibility. We needed a visual system that was:
Intentionally Inclusive: Representing a broad range of people across gender, race, religion, body shape, and ability.
Locally Resonant: Reflecting the vibrant, diverse makeup of the Detroit community where Spectacle Society is based.
Operationally Simple: Providing an easy-to-use design system that the business owner could implement daily without needing a full creative team.
The strength of our initial discovery phase allowed me to present a core strategy and visual concept that resonated immediately; the client moved forward with my first-round direction, which served as the foundation for the entire brand system developed by Unsold Studio.
BELOW
My strategy and design contributions to the first round of design work presented to the client. The client ultimately selected the look of Concept 1 with the messaging from Concept 2, that I developed.
The Solution
Modular Character System: We designed a library of hand-drawn components that allow for over 2,200 unique character combinations made from a kit of parts including eyeglasses, hairstyles, mouths, and head shapes. This ensures that every customer—regardless of race, gender, age, or ability—can see themselves reflected in the brand, and can literally make a “society” of characters.
Inclusive Precedents: Drawing inspiration from modular design systems like those used for Copenhagen’s central library by design team Hvass and Hannibal, we focused on bright, non-literal skin tones (blues, oranges, and teals) to move beyond simple blacks and whites to show racial diversity.
Scalable Branding: The system provides the client with an easy-to-use toolkit for social media, print collateral, and in-store signage, allowing the brand to remain fresh and inclusive without constant oversight.
Human-Centric Results: The illustrations are paired with photos of real customers on social media, creating a powerful "portrait" of the diverse community Spectacle Society serves. The messaging system also includes empowering phrases featuring “spec” to reinforce confidence, individuality, and self expression for the customer.
The Impact
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
2021 Graphis Design Annual (New York, NY), Honorable Mention for branding for Spectacle Society, Summer 2020. Juried.
Creative Communication Award (Los Angeles, CA), 2020 Winner in Branding/Brand Identity for Spectacle Society, Fall 2020. Juried.
2020 Indigo Design Award (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Silver Medal in Branding for Spectacle Society, Summer 2020. Juried.
FEATURES & PRESENTATIONS
Featured as a BRAND DESIGN case study in the Design Core Detroit Neighborhood Business Guide. Invited.
Featured at the HASTAC 2023 - Critical Making and Social Justice conference at Pratt Institute in 2023. Peer Reviewed.
CLIENT MILESTONES
In 2024, the business was awarded $50,000 through the Detroit Elevate Program (a partnership between the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation), signaling its status as a high-potential, sustainable Detroit-based small business.