Fresh Faced
As I stepped into the beauty section of stores, I often felt like I was entering an art gallery. The captivating packaging, with its intricate designs and vibrant colors, draws you in like a masterpiece hanging on a wall. Each product tells its own story through typography, colors, and imagery, creating a visual feast. However, for me skincare is more than just about pretty packaging. It is about finding products that work well while having fun in the process. Like many teens, my younger sister loves collecting skincare products, but she often ends up with more than she needs. This led me to question: Is there a way to simplify skincare for teens, eliminating the unnecessary extras?
During the summer, I spent a significant amount of time on Tik Tok, which became my go to platform for discovering various skincare routines and trends. Spending hours scrolling through skincare videos full of creativity and innovation hooked me. This curiosity drove me to make numerous trips with my sisters to stores like Sephora and Target, where we looked at shelves full of these skincare products (fig.1). But something piqued my interest was the packaging design. My journey towards creating my skincare brand was inspired by various influences that shaped my vision. Among the brands that influenced me, Glossier stood out with its minimalist yet chic approach. However, I aimed for something different, steering away from minimalism. That's when I discovered Pleasing, a brand created by Harry Styles. Although not skincare related, I was captivated by its super colorful and fun designs, igniting my imagination for my own brand's aesthetic. Additionally, I drew inspiration from Byoma, whose striking and vivid packaging designs resonated deeply with me. Each product's unique color scheme and visual appeal further fueled my passion for the artistic side of skincare branding. So I had an idea of what I wanted my skincare brand to look like. So the next step was to determine how to create a skincare brand. When I first starting creating my new skincare brand, I had to carefully consider who I wanted to use my products on. Who were these products intended for? What type of skin care did they require? To respond to these inquiries, I needed to know about their daily routines, interests, and lifestyles, as well as their skin types. This required delving deeply into the lives of potential users to identify their top skincare priorities and challenges. So it was decided that my brand would be aimed at tweens, though young adults are welcome to use it.
I decided to focus on this specific audience after conducting market research and discovering something intriguing. Most skincare brands appear to target older people, leaving tweens somewhat overlooked in the beauty aisle. However, these younger consumers are very interested in skincare products and frequently purchase them. It felt like they were missing out on products designed specifically for them, so I saw an opportunity to create something unique and tailored to their interests and needs. Recently, tweens have spent a significant amount of time on platforms such as TikTok, immersing themselves in the world of trends and products. This digital playground has become a hotspot for discovering what's trending, including skincare brands like Drunk Elephant, which have gained significant traction among young people. Articles about this trend emphasize how social media platforms have become influential spaces where children not only experiment with new products but also adopt skincare routines and trends they see online. It’s interesting how tweens are becoming increasingly interested in skincare, but there’s a downside to this.
Many tweens get caught up in buying a lot of skincare products, often because of what’s popular or what they see influencer using. The problem is that they may not realize that using too many products, particularly those not intended for their young skin, can lead to serious problems in the future. Some products, such as strong acne treatments or harsh exfoliants, can be used like a sledgehammer when a gentle touch is all that is required. They can disrupt the delicate balance of young skin, causing redness, irritation, and even exacerbate skin problems over time. Another issue is that using a lot of products can sometimes mask what's actually going on with your skin. This cycle of trying new products without knowing what your skin actually requires can complicate things and even cause long term problems. That is why tweens and their parents should understand the basics of skincare and use products that are gentle and appropriate for their age. It's not about using every fancy product on the market; it's about finding the right balance and caring for your skin in a way that keeps it healthy and happy over time. With this I proceeded to establish a distinct identity for my brand. I wanted my brand to not only be a skincare brand for tweens but, a brand that teached them how to take care of their own skin. Since my target audience is tweens I wanted make this fun and easy for them to follow. ‘Fresh Faced’ was a name that I came up with while I was brainstorming ideas for the skincare brand. It reflects the concept of starting a new with clean, rejuvenated skin, which aligns perfectly with the brand’s mission of simplifying skincare routines and promoting a healthy, youthful glow. The term ‘Fresh Faced’ also resonates with my target audience of tweens, conveying a sense of freshness, simplicity, and natural beauty.
The next step was deciding what products I wanted to offer. This meant having a thorough understanding of what my target audience wanted and needed. I wanted my brand to stand out, so I focused on products that tweens really needed. I did my research on what products they needed the most, and the products were cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. However, in order to make my brand more appealing, I wanted to include another product that would make it appear more fun and enjoyable. During my research into skincare trends, I came across ‘Starface’, a pimple patch company that has grown in popularity on Tik Tok. These colorful star shaped patches were seen everywhere, including beauty aisles, social media, and even people's faces. Initially, I found the idea of wearing stickers on your face intriguing and slightly unusual. However, as I learned more about their use in treating pimples, I grew to appreciate the clever and playful design. This inspired me to design my own pimple patches.
When I began to design the identity of my brand, one of the first steps was to create a mood board (fig.2). I carefully selected bold fonts for the lettering to make a strong statement about confidence and authenticity. Each color choice on the palette was deliberate, aiming to convey a sense of vibrancy and freshness that resonated with the brand's essence. The pastel colors I chose played a crucial role in creating a youthful and approachable vibe for "Fresh Faced." These soft hues blended together seamlessly, creating a harmonious and inviting visual experience. I wanted the mood board to reflect the brand as bold yet inviting, vibrant yet soothing, capturing the essence of simplicity and effectiveness in skincare for teens. Every element on the mood board was like a brushstroke on a canvas, painting the vision of "Fresh Faced" as a brand that stands out while remaining friendly and relatable.
As I progressed with shaping the brand, the next step was creating a logo. I went through a challenging process of brainstorming and sketching to come up with something that truly represented "Fresh Faced." After several iterations, I managed to design two different logos, but neither of them felt quite right or convincing to me (fig. 3). While refining the logo design I initially combined two fonts to create a look. This concept laid the groundwork for the brands identity. However as I delved deeper into the essence and message of the brand I felt that the logo didn't fully capture the lively spirit I envisioned for 'Fresh Faced.' This realization prompted me to revamp the logo challenging myself to explore ideas and techniques.
I played around with color palettes, font styles and design elements in an effort to find the balance, between boldness and approachability. After revisions I eventually arrived at a logo that truly resonated with me (fig. 4). The new logo not only exudes the bubbly and fun essence I initially envisioned but also maintains a clean and polished look. This fusion of playfulness and sophistication captures the brand's identity, appealing to teens while retaining a sense of professionalism. In addition to the logo, I designed a symbol for the brand featuring a female silhouette within a flower. The choice of a flower as a symbol represents growth, vitality, and the essence of youthfulness. This symbol encapsulates the brand's message of embracing natural beauty and the journey of blossoming into one's best self.
Once I had the logo ready, I started designing the packaging. I wanted each product to stand out, so I played around with lots of bright colors. It was very challenging to get it just right, it took me ages mixing and matching until I finally landed on the perfect combination that felt right and what I wanted. I chose for a color scheme soft pink, gentle purple and sunny yellow for the final packaging design. These colors I chose because they had a sense of freshness, youthfulness, and joy, which aligned with the brand’s vision. Before proceeding with printing additional copies, I conducted test prints to ensure the quality and accuracy of the packaging design. During this phase, I also experimented with different sizes of the packaging to find the optimal dimensions for each product.
For the ‘Graphic Design Senior Exhibition’, I wanted to create a visual delight by carefully designing each product to stand out on shelves (fig. 8 & 9). The layout was designed to resemble the launch of a new product in a store; I wanted it to feel like a real skincare brand. So I created three posters: one with a mock-up of the actual product, one with the logo prominently displayed, and one with the brand's mission. Then I added a shelf to showcase the four products, as well as a white podium to hold the remaining copies of the product. I also had to figure out how to make pimple patches, so I took transparent paper and cut it into squares, then printed the pimple patches, cut them, and sandwiched them between two transparent papers to keep them from moving around and looking like stickers. Standing next to the exhibition felt like being in a colorful oasis. The vibrant posters and well arranged products looked great together, bringing it to life. The posters looked great together, highlighting the brand’s essence with bold logos and mission statements, while the product on the shelf gleamed with pastel packaging and inviting textures.
The pimple patches, which were meticulously crafted and displayed in a playful manner, added a whimsical element to the scene. Figure 8: me standing next to the exhibition, with flowers that my friends gave me. As visitors wandered through the exhibit, I enjoyed explaining the thought process behind each design choice and sharing the passion of ‘Fresh Faced’. When the visitors first saw the exhibition, they were amazed and asked if it was a real product that they could buy. This led me to believe that perhaps in the future, this could become a marketable product. Looking back on my experience with this project, it taught me how to combine creativity and functionality in design. As I worked on 'Fresh Faced', I saw it evolve from a simple concept to something more artistic in nature. One of the most important things I learned was how packaging can effectively attract customers. The colorful packaging and layout of the exhibition were intended to pique visitors' interest in skincare and design. I see where I can improve. The craft part could be stronger, perhaps using a different type of paper. Despite these areas for improvement, I am extremely proud of my accomplishments. 'Fresh Faced' received a lot of positive feedback, which made me extremely happy. Moving forward, I can see myself designing packaging for skincare and non-skincare brands. I'll always remember this project, the process, and how long it took. To create a new brand, time is required, and researching the process taught me how long it takes. Now, when I see packaging design, I always remember how much time it takes to create something beautiful. A story worth of being told to the entire world.
