PROJECT DETAILS:
Client: American Optometrist Association
Agency: Narrative Strategies
Date: 2023
Type: Animation, Design, Illustration
Awards: 2024 Reed Award
My Role: Script, Design, Animation, Editing
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
In partnership with Patients Rising, a non-profit patient advocacy organization, I developed a powerful animated explainer video that shines a light on the concerning trend of corporate conglomerates dominating the vision care industry. This strategic communication piece reveals how these monopolistic practices impact both consumers and independent eye care professionals, ultimately raising costs while limiting choices and quality of care.
THE CHALLENGE
With vision benefit managers and eyewear manufacturers increasingly consolidating under single corporate umbrellas, independent optometrists and patients face a rigged system with:
• Limited competition driving up prices for both insured and uninsured patients
• Restricted product choices for consumers despite having insurance coverage
• Independent eye care professionals being forced out of business or absorbed into conglomerates
• Complex insurance structures obscuring these anti-competitive practices from public view
Patients Rising needed a compelling, accessible narrative that could educate policymakers and opinion leaders about these market distortions and motivate legislative action.
THE APPROACH
Working under a tight three-week timeline, we developed a creative strategy that balanced informative content with engaging storytelling:
• Created a relatable protagonist in "Eileen," whose routine eye exam serves as a window into larger systemic issues
• Employed a deliberate flat vector visual style that minimized distracting details while maximizing expressive character animation
• Used visual metaphors to clearly illustrate complex market relationships and conflicts of interest
• Built a narrative that traces the patient journey while revealing the hidden monopolistic structures controlling each step
The intentionally streamlined visual approach served both creative and practical purposes—allowing for more nuanced character expression while accommodating the challenging production timeline.
THE IMPACT
The explainer video became a valuable advocacy tool for Patients Rising policy initiatives, providing a clear, compelling case for regulatory intervention. The project's exceptional quality and effectiveness was formally recognized with a prestigious 2024 Reed Award, highlighting its excellence in political communication.
By translating complex market dynamics into an accessible and engaging story, this video has helped advance the conversation around vision care monopolies and build momentum for putting "patients and doctors back in control."
