Challenge
The story of a startup fighting the multinationals (and winning)
In 2008, a bold group of like-minded optometrists founded FYidoctors in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Not to scale quickly or chase market dominance, but to build a better way to deliver patient-first care.
In just 15 years, they’d gone from a collective of independent clinics to the most expansive doctor-led network of optometrists in North America. The pace of growth was head-spinning: hundreds of acquisitions, a state-of-the-art lens lab, an expansion into medical aesthetics, and a patient-first philosophy that fueled every move. They had grown not in spite of their values but because of them.
But FYidoctors didn’t need a humblebrag about past glories. They needed a strategic tool for the future. Here was the challenge: When you’re growing fast, culture risks getting diluted. The founding story becomes folklore. The values that shaped everything risk getting lost in the shuffle. And the onboarding of new doctors, staff, and entire acquired clinics needs more than a welcome binder.
What FYidoctors needed was a culture book that could serve multiple strategic goals at once:
- Pay tribute to the people who helped build the business
Strengthen connections across 270+ locations - Inspire acquisition targets with a clear sense of belonging
- Streamline onboarding with stories that model the FYidoctors way
- Recruit best-in-class talent who believe in putting patients first
The final challenge? FYidoctors was still young.
This wasn’t a nostalgic look back over a century. It was a fast-paced, in-the-moment account of a values-driven company rewriting the rules of its industry.
Solution
A bright, browsable, values-first book
We began with a strategic decision: this wasn’t a history book. This was a culture book. A living document, structured around FYidoctors’ values and leadership principles.
The storytelling anchored itself in themes like coaching, Patient Pathways, and growth through purpose, with key chapters weaving together founder memories, leadership voices, and on-the-ground stories from across the country. It was about the real ups and downs of building a values-driven company, told through human moments of vulnerability, creativity, and resolve.
Throughout, FYidoctors’ values weren’t just stated, they were demonstrated through proof stories. This meant drawing from clinic anecdotes, interviews with founding members, and moments of challenge that tested and clarified the company’s identity.
The design lifted the whole thing off the page:
- Clean, bold layouts pulled from FYidoctors’ visual identity, using vibrant blue and orange tones
- Dynamic page rhythm alternating full-bleed imagery with short narrative bursts, perfectly browsable for busy doctors or potential partners
- Portraiture and studio photography captured team members and culture champions in an inviting, modern aesthetic
- Graphic line motifs, inspired by the optometrist’s Patient Pathways, connected ideas and people across the book’s structure
Most notably, the cover itself was a nod to the industry, a clever eye chart–inspired layout, made tactile and striking with a JETvarnish spot gloss that delivers a subtle pop. The title Eyes on the Future feels metaphorically and literally in focus.
Result
A story that fuels growth and pride
Eyes on the Future was always meant to be more than a souvenir.
FYidoctors distributed copies across its clinics and boardrooms, but also placed it into the hands of prospective acquisition partners and new hires.
The reaction? Immediate pride.
Doctors and staff saw themselves reflected. New recruits saw a community they wanted to join.
And for FYidoctors’ leadership, the book became a strategic multiplier — a way to reinforce the core culture while building forward, scaling what made them special in the first place.
One more cool thing...
A values roadmap disguised as a storybook
From the very first page, Eyes on the Future is a love letter to FYidoctors’ values. Not just what they are, but how they are lived.
It’s also a subtle tool of persuasion: designed to speak to optometrists thinking of joining the network, showing them a vibrant, values-led organization they’ll want to be part of.
Culture may be invisible, but in this case it’s also extremely readable.
Want to honour your company’s culture while accelerating its growth?
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