In an Australian first, WHEN provides at-home egg count testing and access to the country’s leading fertility experts—prompting a conversation about how and when people can access their own fertility information. They came to us to conceive a brand that could balance credibility and compassion in equal measure. One that felt just as comfortable in a trusted doctor’s office as the shiny shelves of a global beauty store.
- Visual Identity •
- Verbal Identity •
- Art direction •
- Packaging design •
- Website design
Awards
What’s all this then?
The conversation about fertility for people with ovaries has traditionally centred around the biological clock’s looming countdown. But with all that focus on the fear-inducing countdown, there’s not a lot of helpful talk—about how fertility works, the proactive steps we can take to improve it, or why the biological clock is an outdated trope. That’s where WHEN comes in—a fertility medtech company on a mission to ensure no one with ovaries is left wondering about them.
Any insights?
Traditionally, brands in the fertility space are designed to build trust in their medical expertise. 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. We saw an opportunity to create something that balanced the two—trust and credibility, with warmth and humanity. A direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand built on deep medical experience that felt equally at home in a retail environment.
So what seems to be the problem?
Fertility is, understandably, incredibly personal and seldom discussed. To get to the heart of the issue, our friends at VML conducted a series of focus groups, one-on-one interviews and stakeholder research. Because in failing to talk about it, we’re failing to give people the information they need at the right time. People are proactive about pap smears, mammograms, skin checks, sexual health tests—all considered lead indicators that look ahead to impact the future. But fertility is measured as a lag indicator, only measured once it’s more difficult to affect the outcome.
Without jumping through costly medical hoops, there is no accessible way for people to know what’s happening inside their very own bodies without a referral. The medical industry is not set up to provide this kind of information proactively, which can make people feel blocked. And when it comes to fertility, information is power.
So how did you go about it?
Given WHEN is the first of its kind in Australia, care needed to be taken to communicate the importance and impact of its service. Credible medical expertise was a leading reason to believe. But we also knew people needed to hear the real stories behind the brand to build trust in something so new. Striking the balance was critical.
The result is a visual and verbal system that blends emotion with science, expression with information. Designed to showcase fertility stories, expert advice and the endless questions we ask ourselves, the brand moves seamlessly from packaging to print, retail stores to social media.
Life is like a logo
The WHEN wordmark sits at the heart of the visual identity. Clear and confident, it anchors the brand as a dependable figure in the health and medical space. Paired with an organic cell shape that reacts to the world around it, the wordmark and logoform are a perfect foil to the other. Together, they represent standing strong amid the ever-changing nature of life.
One typeface says it all
WHEN's typeface is ABC Diatype. It's used for everything—from wordmark to body copy. Chosen for its modernity and scientific edge, it brings calm and clarity to everything we say. Paired with a colour palette of lemon and neutrals, the identity feels light and warm against an industry so often cold and clinical.
See what’s inside
An important first touchpoint was the at-home testing kit—the Egg Count Check. The kit is split into three sections: Prepare, Collect, and Send. We designed the packaging experience to follow the same logical structure, ensuring the steps were simple to follow and easy to use.
Inspired by the sleek aesthetic of our favourite tech brands, the kit’s box takes a rigid form with special attention paid to premium print finishes. We also created a custom instruction booklet to guide the user through the process, designed and illustrated in-house.
A portrait of introspection
Our primary photography style uses intimate portraits and close crops to focus on the subject’s internal thoughts and feelings. We aim to capture moments that feel like a natural extension of everyday life, empowering and relatable in their familiarity. As a secondary style, we splice natural textures and fluid forms with our portraits, like fragments of memory telling the story of a person’s inner world.
To further enhance this sense of intimacy, a series of icons were developed to capture the different states of mind one might feel around this sensitive and personal topic. Following the same visual language as the logo, these icons add flexibility and expression to the brand, especially when used with the intimate portraiture.
A question and an answer
The brand name itself is a question—when? But it’s also a statement of intent. We worked with copywriter Amy Scott to develop a verbal concept exploring the idea of an inner monologue, giving voice to the questions we ask ourselves but perhaps never verbalise. The brand speaks as an empathetic expert, both insightful and inclusive. By creating space for open conversation and asking the questions people ask themselves, we show no matter where they’re at in their fertility journey, they’re not alone.
Setting them up for something bigger
WHEN doesn’t only set to change fertility testing, but to also facilitate an aspirational platform that aims to drive community and empowering conversation around fertility. The brand was crafted to grow into a multidimensional platform for fertility information access and support. We helped design the first step of this journey through WHEN Matters—a curated blog for sharing real fertility stories and credible medical expertise to ensure no one with ovaries was left feeling alone on their journey.
And the end result?
As a business that’s truly changing the landscape of fertility, it was only right that the brand also break free of the category norms and forge a new path. One that encourages autonomy, community and conversation. With expert guidance and quiet confidence, WHEN is set to help people with ovaries navigate fertility on their own terms—whether they want kids or not.
Collaborators
- Research • VML
- Brand Writer • Amy Scott
- Case Study Photography • Benito Martin
- Case Study Prop Stylist • Chloe Wilson
Sonos
Research & Development (Under NDA)
