smile.

Role:
Senior UX Designer (Experience Design, Visual Systems, Digital + Print Implementation)

Product:
End-to-end brand, website, and patient-facing materials for a high-end dental practice

Context

SmileMaine was launched as a new joint dental practice, bringing together two established doctors under a single, elevated brand. Unlike traditional dental offices, the practice was intentionally positioned as a luxury, spa-like experience focused on cosmetic and restorative dentistry for adults.

The goal was to create an environment that reframed dental care from something clinical and anxiety-inducing into something calm, restorative, and trust-building—appealing to discerning clients seeking exceptional care in a refined setting.

This positioning needed to be expressed consistently across every touchpoint, from the website and printed materials to the in-office experience itself.

Problem Framing

Most dental brands rely on familiar visual tropes—bright colors, stock photography, and overtly clinical language—that reinforce anxiety rather than ease it. For SmileMaine, this approach would actively undermine the experience the practice was trying to create.

Key challenges included:

Establishing trust for a brand-new practice with no shared history
Communicating exclusivity and professionalism without feeling cold or inaccessible
Supporting patients who may feel apprehensive, while still appealing to a high-end, cosmetic-focused audience
Designing a system that extended beyond the website into physical, in-office interactions

The experience needed to feel intentional, cohesive, and reassuring—before a patient ever walked through the door.

Approach

The project was approached as experience design, not just branding or web design. Every element was designed to reinforce a sense of calm, confidence, and care.

Brand + Experience Strategy

Positioned the practice as a retreat, not a clinic
Avoided bright colors, clinical iconography, and stock photography common in dental marketing
Prioritized restraint, white space, and refined typography to slow the experience and reduce anxiety

Website Design

Designed to reassure first, convert second
Content pacing and hierarchy emphasized warmth, expertise, and approachability
Online appointment booking was supported, but intentionally secondary to trust-building
Visual language mirrored the physical office environment to ensure continuity between digital and in-person experiences

Print + Physical Touchpoints

Designed a complete suite of patient-facing materials, including:
- Business cards, letterhead, folders, and envelopes
- Appointment cards, reply cards, intake questionnaires, and marketing postcards
Print and web were developed as a single design system, ensuring consistency across:
- Pre-visit communications
- In-office materials and iPad screens
- Post-visit follow-ups
Worked closely with the interior designer to align digital and print materials with the architectural and spatial design of the practice

Outcomes

The brand and website were received very favorably by the client
The cohesive system helped establish immediate credibility for a new practice
SmileMaine continues to use the website and printed materials as designed, with ongoing updates made within the established system
The work successfully differentiated the practice from traditional dental offices, aligning perception with the premium, spa-like experience offered in person