For a brief this big, we had to tear up the rulebook

Opill is currently being rolled out in retail pharmacies across the US, enabling millions of people to pick up a birth control pill without a prescription. With one-third of the nation’s women experiencing barriers in contraception access, the history-making move was hailed by Perrigo as “a giant leap for women’s empowerment”.

Elmwood was tasked with creating a visual identity for Opill as it made this groundbreaking switch from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC). The team’s mission was to reshape the parameters of reproductive healthcare with a market-leading design; empowering a new generation of American women to take charge of their own contraceptive journeys.

This amounted to a monumental design challenge that would mark this milestone moment in American healthcare.

Reinventing the wheel

The arrival of Opill represents a fresh chapter in women’s reproductive rights in the US; perhaps the most significant since the FDA approved the first-ever contraceptive pill back in 1960. For the creative minds at Elmwood – who also designed Hana, the UK’s first OTC pill, in 2021 – it also brought a new opportunity to reset category expectations in sexual and reproductive health.

“This was our invitation to build a revolutionary product from scratch, setting a new benchmark in how contraception looks and feels to today’s consumers,” says Rob Dyer, Elmwood’s Associate Creative Director. “Everyone involved was aware of the cultural impact of this project. It was a unique opportunity to set a new standard and make a bold statement. But we would only have one chance and it had to be right.”

The studio’s first step was to explore the cultural shifts around femininity, self-care, and self-expression. “By learning from the edge, coupled with deep dives into insight with our audience, we were able to build a clear contextual picture that showed there was an appetite for a bolder, braver brand,” explains Deborah Stafford-Watson, Elmwood’s Head of Provocation & Strategy. “But being bold wasn’t enough. We had to balance the need to bring something new to the category with a visual identity that people would intuitively see as effective, protective, and accessible.”

Transformative language

So, how exactly was this creative approach applied within Opill’s design system – across multiple digital, pack, TV, and out-of-home touchpoints? “The distinctive O-shaped brandmark is key,” says Dyer. “The O symbol drives memorability of the name and has been designed to telegraph uncomplicated protection. It’s a universal symbol that can act as a beacon for the brand in the world of reproductive health.”

Opill’s color palette is similarly striking. “It combines a modern teal background with free-form shapes that appear in vivid hues of coral, lilac, orange, blush, and yellow,” says Dyer. “This is a marked departure from the usual pinks and purples in femcare; instead, using a more inclusive, optimistic color palette.”

In Opill, Elmwood also needed to strike a balance between bold openness with efficacy and reliability. “The bright colors are balanced with a crisp and clean O shape with reassuring dark-blue and silver endorsements – bringing together a contemporary design system with system-one codes of scientific reassurance,” explains Stafford-Watson.

In addition, Opill’s block letter font features an open, round typeface, immediately making it feel more personable, straddling both approachability and credibility.

“Our photography and illustration assets also walk that line between bold expression and clinical competence,” adds Stafford-Watson. “Most of all, our aim was to craft an uncluttered world: a place that reflects the ability to access contraception on your own terms.”

Courage and empowerment

The launch of Opill follows years of campaigning by women’s health groups in the US, in what The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists describes as “a critically important advancement”. However, the battle for safe, shame-free, and accessible contraception continues – making meaningful brand language more vital than ever.

“Women’s reproductive rights are still under threat in the States,” says Deborah. “There continues to be a lot of political opposition to birth control, which only enhances its stigma. Opill is the opposite of that intrusion. Its visual identity not only breaks free from outdated codes of the category – it also represents the cultural impact of reproductive freedom. Opill is approachable and reassuring, but it’s also a brand where you can be yourself. It engenders that feeling of confidence and freedom in place of long-held taboos.”

Together with Perrigo, the team at Elmwood has defined a courageous new lexicon for on- and off-pack design in reproductive healthcare. Revolving around the single point of safe protection, its highly visible identity is designed to help a new wave of Americans claim control over their sexual health. As Stafford-Watson says, “We’ve been able to create something that can truly stand proud as a first-of-its-kind in US history.”