HO-use evolves contact lens brand moody over five years of restraint

The Brand Identity: Two circles collide in the moody logo, forming a pair of eyes. It’s a small visual idea with an outsized shelf life. Over nearly five years, Ivory Ho, Founder & Art Director of Shanghai and Taipei-based HO-use, has steered the contact lens brand through three distinct evolutionary phases, each one deepening the identity without changing that original mark. The logo stays the same. Everything around it grows up. The brand’s early phase tackled the basics: establishing credibility within the contact lens category.

moody’s identity was anchored by three keywords, comfort, colour and fun, though Ho found these terms too abstract to guide consistent decision-making. ‘Fun’ had been expressed through the staggered ‘oo’ in the logotype. ‘Colour’ was interpreted as a literal rainbow palette. The lack of a precise definition made internal consensus difficult, so the first transformation focused on building a signature colour system.

That system streamlined the design team’s workflow and gave consumers something recognisable to hold onto. Once the colour language reached full integration across product and marketing, Ho shifted focus toward what she calls “infusing the soul.” This second phase moved moody from a well-designed product into something closer to a resonant brand, guided by the philosophy ‘Daily, but not ordinary.

Simple, but never dull.’ If moody were a person, Ho suggests, it would be someone who seeks small moments of the extraordinary within ordinary life, someone who might choose coloured contact lenses to accentuate their features as a quiet, personal act of self-expression. Translating that concept into visuals required finding an element that could carry the brand’s signature colours and shapes while appearing naturally in everyday scenes. The answer was an orange. The double ‘O’ in moody's name and its signature colour made the connection feel both intuitive and earned.

The two circles already functioned as a pair of eyes, an apt visual shorthand for a contact lens brand, and the orange’s round form echoed that geometry. “When consumers see an orange, they no longer see just a piece of fruit; they connect it to moody,” Ho shares. “Through this relaxed and approachable element, the brand truly weaves itself into the fabric of the consumer’s daily life.” The fruit appears consistently across brand photography and product, a recurring motif that bridges the gap between slogan and lived experience. By the third year, commercial ambition demanded another recalibration.

As moody expanded into new product categories and pursued a broader demographic, Ho began practising what she terms “visual subtraction,” pulling back the dominance of the brand’s signature orange. The original guidelines stipulated that orange should not exceed 50% of the visual space. In the most recent refresh, that proportion dropped to approximately 20%. The muted, layered hue that replaced the original vibrancy was calibrated with particular care.

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The article discusses a significant brand evolution in the contact lens industry, highlighting strategic branding elements that are highly relevant to professionals in brand strategy.