Revitalising a legacy in dental innovation
Pola, a globally recognised leader in professional tooth whitening, has built its reputation on safety, efficacy and the confidence it brings to users. As the category evolves, so too must the brand.
SDI Limited, the Australian company behind Pola, set out to reposition the brand for a global audience, ensuring its legacy of trust and quality continues to resonate at a higher level.
The refresh introduces a more contemporary identity, designed to elevate Pola’s presence across both professional and consumer markets. Through a more considered aesthetic and clearer messaging, the brand now speaks to a more design-conscious audience, strengthening its position within the premium end of cosmetic dentistry.
The challenge
The brief was to refresh Pola’s brand identity and establish a more cohesive, contemporary expression that resonates with a global audience, while retaining the trust the brand is known for.
The scope included:
- Refinement of the brand identity, including logos, icons and core assets
- Redesign of product packaging, inside and out
- Development of a new advertising system, spanning typography, imagery and colour
- Art direction and production of model and product photography
- 3D product and packaging renders, along with animation
- Comprehensive guidelines and templates to support global rollout
Understanding the audience
Pola serves a broad audience united by a focus on quality, safety and visible results. This includes proactive individuals seeking premium whitening solutions, often motivated by appearance in social or professional settings, as well as patients introduced to the product through their dentists.
The brand therefore operates across both professional and consumer contexts. It needs to perform in clinical, B2B environments such as dental publications, sales channels and trade events, while also connecting in more emotive, B2C settings including social media and in-practice promotions.
Crafting a vision for the future
To ensure the refreshed identity resonated at a global level, a structured and collaborative process was followed:
Discovery and research
An in-depth review of existing communications and the competitive landscape identified opportunities for differentiation and elevation.
Creative strategy workshop
Working closely with stakeholders, a series of creative territories were explored, shaping both the visual and verbal direction of the brand.
Concept development
Three distinct identity directions were developed, each outlining a clear approach to brandmark, colour, typography, art direction and packaging.
Delivery and launch
The selected direction was scaled into a complete brand system, including packaging and print templates, digital and social assets, and detailed guidelines to support global rollout. In parallel, production of brand imagery was delivered at pace, with art direction spanning a high-end beauty shoot alongside product and packaging renders. This ensured the brand could be deployed quickly, consistently and at a premium standard across all markets.
The new Pola: elegant minimalism
The refreshed identity brings Pola into a more contemporary, design-led space:
Logo
A distinctive vertical format introduces a stronger sense of memorability, subtly referencing the north and south poles, while a horizontal variant provides flexibility across applications.
Colour palette
A more mature and refined palette, led by Midnight Blue, sets the brand apart within the category and reinforces its premium positioning.
Typography
The contemporary sans-serif Favorit is used across headlines and body copy, supported by Favorit Mono for secondary information and technical detail.
Art direction
A more elevated visual approach focuses on clarity and restraint, with Midnight Blue acting as a consistent anchor across imagery and content.
Bringing the brand to life
Imagery played a central role in expressing the refreshed identity, built around two distinct approaches:
Beauty imagery
Confident, elevated model direction focused on considered crops, refined compositions and purposeful styling. Casting reflected the brand’s global reach, creating a sense of aspiration while remaining grounded and authentic.
Product imagery
Clean, minimal compositions set against Midnight Blue backgrounds established a consistent and recognisable visual language. Select scenes were developed in 3D while packaging was still in production, enabling greater control and supporting a faster, more efficient rollout to market.
What's next?
Pola’s refreshed identity sets the foundation for its next phase of growth. With a clear system now in place, SDI is well positioned to deliver more consistent, distinctive and premium experiences across global markets.
