TYPE BEAUTY
NAMING | THE BRAND IDEA | BRAND STRATEGY | PACKAGING DESIGN | BRAND LANGUAGE | PHOTO SHOOT | WEBSITE DESIGN
Ananya Kapoor, a trained chemist reached out to us with a business idea that stemmed from her training, and a fundamental belief that makeup and skincare need not be divorced from each other. Why can’t makeup work to care for you, while you use it? While the premise is one that numerous other brands in the category are attempting, none with quite the expertise and product approach that Type Beauty aims to.
When the category focussed on ‘natural’ remedies, there wasn’t anyone really owning the science of formulation. ‘Inclusivity’ was a word brands were using as their last line of defence and just to qualify as being up-to-date, but were they really?
UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE
As is part of our usual process, we dis an intensive study on the brands that exist in the category, specifically ones that share similar values, or perceived in the same space. We found most makeup brands at the time of writing this, were either all about glamour, or as a last resort, infused with a natural oil or ingredient. We also found through reports and trend studies we often check, the entire skincare market was moving towards a more scientific approach with clinical substantiation. Why then was the makeup category so afraid of going science-forward?
It appears that most took an approach that defies logic, but uses a mechanical way of thinking:
HOW WE LOOKED AT IT
Chemistry is nothing but the study of nature at a molecular level. Chemicals come from molecular compositions that were born in nature.
We use chemicals, sure, but derived from nature and used with utmost care and precision with dermatologist approvals.
THE CATEGORY PLAYBOOK
Makeup is highly pigmented.
Pigments are chemical and therefore damaging.
Hence wearing makeup is damaging.
Counter ‘chemical’ damage by infusing natural oils.
Chemical makeup with natural oils is not damaging.
The key message: Chemicals aren’t the enemy. Thoughtless formulation is.
UNDERSTANDING THE CONSUMER
We’re constantly working with researchers and strategists who are in turn talking to customers from varying geographies and mindsets, and the customers had had enough. They would rather not use any makeup, than take the risk of it damaging their skin. They were tired of being told to ‘feel good’. Tired of being sold natural infusions, Ayurveda, clean labels, no nasties, gentle, all the marketing terminology which definitely had no side effects, but equally well no effect either. The time of science had come - they were looking for an expert brand that was rational, that spoke the language of logic not of whimsy. A brand that doesn’t embrace inclusivity to just be a part of the trending buzzwords.
Furthermore, we observed that while the skincare industry had sub-divided skin types (Oily, Dry and combination), makeup brands didn’t cater to them. Ananya, the founder was determined from the very inception of the brand - that if makeup has to heal while in use, it needs to cater to different skin needs and skin types.
THE BRAND IDEA
When the skincare industry has identified different skin types and caters to it, why then do makeup brands ignore it? We worked with Ananya to create a brand that created makeup for different skin types and tones. A brand that is unafraid to speak the language of science.
The inspiration
Generally associated with objective reasoning and mechanical precision, there is an undeniable human element to science.
Elements driven by thoughts and experiences, that explain and simplify the science in a way that’s relatable.
Inspired by the type treatment seen in science journals, the design language uses structured diagrams and handwritten text to incorporate the balance of mechanical precision and human thinking that is analytical.
THE DESIGN EXPLORATION
There were numerous ways to interpret the idea of ‘Science-powered Makeup’. Below were a few initial design explorations we made before we settled on the design language that the brand today carries.
THE DESIGN LANGUAGE
Exploring the colour for the primary packaging.
This was done in parallel to the wordmark & brand development above.
The final packaging design that we developed stayed true to the concept, and really leaned into the science of formulation.
Leaning hard into our brand language, we treated our product names with wit and intelligence, along with the scientific diagrammatic treatment that helped to convey details of the precise formulation.
We recognised that ‘science’ can be daunting, and so we decided to infuse some fun into it.
The brand personality was created to be fun and approachable. Although the product team and founder are biochemistry nerds, we wanted the brand to speak simply, without following suit of other skincare brands that use ‘jargon’ as a means to justify their expertise.
The brand language percolates down to our packaging too, where we used patterns inspired by molecular structures and scientific diagrams to reinforce the brand language.
THE WEBSITE
The main challenge of the design for the website was evangelising the idea of the brand, along with making product purchase easy. A big part of the problem of beauty shopping online, especially in colour cosmetics is colour accuracy. Since we were launching with concealers foundations, it became paramount that the website enabled consumers to make choices that matched their skin tones. To that end, we created a quiz of sorts that compared their skin tones to shades from other more popular brands. Since most consumers would know what shade they used from other brands, it became safer for them to select the skin tone that would work for them from the Type range of shades.
EXTENDING THE BRAND UNIVERSE
As with most brands we create, extending how the brand will exist on social media is a part of what we do to maintain consistency in personality, visual language and overall brand impact. This includes demonstrations of the varying content pegs that would ideally be a part of the variety of communication they would require to put out there for awareness.
