Ishraaq

99Designs Global Contest Winner for RetainerPal

99designs • Freelance

Mar 2026 - Apr 2026 • 1 mo

I won a global identity design contest on 99designs for the premium orthodontic care brand, RetainerPal, competing against 187 professional designers and outperforming 1,267 total entries. By day six of the process, all 9 of my highly tailored design concepts achieved perfect 5-star ratings, with the client choosing my minimalist tooth-and-smile mark as the official face of the company. I took full ownership of the foundational creative strategy, developing a sleek, modern visual identity and custom color palettes engineered to balance clinical professionalism with a warm, approachable direct-to-consumer feel. Rather than relying on generic dental tropes , I meticulously sketched and integrated a subtle, hidden human smile into the primary tooth graphic to build instant emotional safety and consumer trust. The commercial impact of this design was validated through rigorous market data. After testing across two rounds of research with 150 independent consumers, my logo emerged as the strongest overall choice. It hit the brand’s core demographic perfectly, securing a definitive 2:1 preference margin among women, who represent over 60% of the entire orthodontic retainer market. On the commercial side, the design demonstrated incredible price resilience during consumer testing. It achieved the flattest price sensitivity curve in the entire study, retaining an exceptional 41% of likely buyers at the highest premium tier ($180–$219). By equipping the brand with maximum strategic pricing flexibility and proven audience alignment, this project directly resulted in a long-term, ongoing future design partnership.