diff --git a/src/key.rs b/src/key.rs
index 8166673e2..8a0dfaf69 100644
--- a/src/key.rs
+++ b/src/key.rs
@@ -215,54 +215,14 @@ impl ::serde::Serialize for SecretKey {
 impl<'de> ::serde::Deserialize<'de> for SecretKey {
     fn deserialize<D: ::serde::Deserializer<'de>>(d: D) -> Result<Self, D::Error> {
         if d.is_human_readable() {
-            struct HexVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for HexVisitor {
-                type Value = SecretKey;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("a hex string representing 32 byte SecretKey")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    if let Ok(hex) = str::from_utf8(v) {
-                        str::FromStr::from_str(hex).map_err(E::custom)
-                    } else {
-                        Err(E::invalid_value(::serde::de::Unexpected::Bytes(v), &self))
-                    }
-                }
-
-                fn visit_str<E>(self, v: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    str::FromStr::from_str(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-
-            d.deserialize_str(HexVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_str(crate::serde_util::HexVisitor::new(
+                "a hex string representing 32 byte SecretKey"
+            ))
         } else {
-            struct BytesVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for BytesVisitor {
-                type Value = SecretKey;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("raw 32 bytes SecretKey")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    SecretKey::from_slice(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-
-            d.deserialize_bytes(BytesVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_bytes(crate::serde_util::BytesVisitor::new(
+                "raw 32 bytes SecretKey",
+                SecretKey::from_slice
+            ))
         }
     }
 }
@@ -459,53 +419,14 @@ impl ::serde::Serialize for PublicKey {
 impl<'de> ::serde::Deserialize<'de> for PublicKey {
     fn deserialize<D: ::serde::Deserializer<'de>>(d: D) -> Result<PublicKey, D::Error> {
         if d.is_human_readable() {
-            struct HexVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for HexVisitor {
-                type Value = PublicKey;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("an ASCII hex string")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    if let Ok(hex) = str::from_utf8(v) {
-                        str::FromStr::from_str(hex).map_err(E::custom)
-                    } else {
-                        Err(E::invalid_value(::serde::de::Unexpected::Bytes(v), &self))
-                    }
-                }
-
-                fn visit_str<E>(self, v: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    str::FromStr::from_str(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-            d.deserialize_str(HexVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_str(crate::serde_util::HexVisitor::new(
+                "an ASCII hex string representing a public key"
+            ))
         } else {
-            struct BytesVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for BytesVisitor {
-                type Value = PublicKey;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("a bytestring")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    PublicKey::from_slice(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-
-            d.deserialize_bytes(BytesVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_bytes(crate::serde_util::BytesVisitor::new(
+                "a bytestring representing a public key",
+                PublicKey::from_slice
+            ))
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 44a1b3e6d..f37c33a55 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -165,6 +165,8 @@ pub mod ecdh;
 pub mod key;
 #[cfg(feature = "recovery")]
 pub mod recovery;
+#[cfg(feature = "serde")]
+mod serde_util;
 
 pub use key::SecretKey;
 pub use key::PublicKey;
@@ -434,54 +436,14 @@ impl ::serde::Serialize for Signature {
 impl<'de> ::serde::Deserialize<'de> for Signature {
     fn deserialize<D: ::serde::Deserializer<'de>>(d: D) -> Result<Self, D::Error> {
         if d.is_human_readable() {
-            struct HexVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for HexVisitor {
-                type Value = Signature;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("a hex string representing a DER encoded Signature")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    if let Ok(hex) = str::from_utf8(v) {
-                        str::FromStr::from_str(hex).map_err(E::custom)
-                    } else {
-                        Err(E::invalid_value(::serde::de::Unexpected::Bytes(v), &self))
-                    }
-                }
-
-                fn visit_str<E>(self, v: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    str::FromStr::from_str(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-
-            d.deserialize_str(HexVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_str(crate::serde_util::HexVisitor::new(
+                "a hex string representing a DER encoded Signature"
+            ))
         } else {
-            struct BytesVisitor;
-
-            impl<'de> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for BytesVisitor {
-                type Value = Signature;
-
-                fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-                    formatter.write_str("raw byte stream, that represents a DER encoded Signature")
-                }
-
-                fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
-                where
-                    E: ::serde::de::Error,
-                {
-                    Signature::from_der(v).map_err(E::custom)
-                }
-            }
-
-            d.deserialize_bytes(BytesVisitor)
+            d.deserialize_bytes(crate::serde_util::BytesVisitor::new(
+                "raw byte stream, that represents a DER encoded Signature",
+                Signature::from_der
+            ))
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/serde_util.rs b/src/serde_util.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2fbae46a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/serde_util.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+use core::fmt;
+use core::marker::PhantomData;
+use core::str;
+
+pub struct HexVisitor<T> {
+    expectation: &'static str,
+    _pd: PhantomData<T>,
+}
+
+impl<T> HexVisitor<T> {
+    pub fn new(expectation: &'static str) -> Self {
+        HexVisitor {
+            expectation,
+            _pd: PhantomData
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'de, T: str::FromStr> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for HexVisitor<T>
+    where <T as str::FromStr>::Err: fmt::Display
+{
+    type Value = T;
+
+    fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        formatter.write_str(self.expectation)
+    }
+
+    fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+        where
+            E: ::serde::de::Error,
+    {
+        if let Ok(hex) = str::from_utf8(v) {
+            str::FromStr::from_str(hex).map_err(E::custom)
+        } else {
+            Err(E::invalid_value(::serde::de::Unexpected::Bytes(v), &self))
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn visit_str<E>(self, v: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+        where
+            E: ::serde::de::Error,
+    {
+        str::FromStr::from_str(v).map_err(E::custom)
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct BytesVisitor<F> {
+    expectation: &'static str,
+    parse_fn: F,
+}
+
+impl<F> BytesVisitor<F> {
+    pub fn new(expectation: &'static str, parse_fn: F) -> Self {
+        BytesVisitor {
+            expectation,
+            parse_fn
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'de, F, T, Err> ::serde::de::Visitor<'de> for BytesVisitor<F>
+    where F: Fn(&[u8]) -> Result<T, Err>,
+          Err: fmt::Display
+{
+    type Value = T;
+
+    fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        formatter.write_str(self.expectation)
+    }
+
+    fn visit_bytes<E>(self, v: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+        where
+            E: ::serde::de::Error,
+    {
+        (self.parse_fn)(v).map_err(E::custom)
+    }
+}
+