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In the aesthetically geared generation we live in, some sectors have flourished, whilst others fell by the wayside. There has been a push on anything eye-catching. Not just on its own but also amongst other products of a similar style. Aesthetically matching products has become such a trend that companies who are competitors have been known to tailor complementary products to fit nicely with the competition, rather than stand out from them.  A beauty brand is no different, you need to stand out along isles of similar products begging for attention.

One sector has embraced the change to all things ‘pretty’, the beauty sector. Long gone are the days of poorly organised adverts, the heavy-duty plastic bottles like the one our childhood favourite, Matey bubble bath used to come in. In their place are delicate glass bottles with pipettes, subtle branding on neutral, often pastel colours.

As a design agency, we have worked on countless projects over the years. Here is our overview of how to build your beauty brand from the ground up.

The Golden Ticket 🎟️

When it comes to winning the ultimate prize in the beauty sector, the Willy-Wonka style golden ticket, although it’s likely blush-pink in this scenario. You need to take note of one thing above all else. What is your identity? Who are you? What is your brand, and why does it exist?

Identity is going to be the driving force behind the majority of your development from start to finish, from initially recognising your demographic to packaging your product and driving those hard sales. If you don’t fully understand your purpose and live and breathe your work, it’s unlikely it will ever become a monster business.

One million ways to our heart ❤️

In an increasingly saturated sector, it’s pivotal that your product(s) represents what you do best. Keeping it simple has been the key to growth for a beauty brand over the past few years. We’ve seen award-winning startups like Then I Met You dominate specific segments of the market by only releasing two products. It’s the old mentality of walking before you can run.

If you’ve perfected a revolutionary moisturiser, build confidence in that product by selling it alone. Let other brands provide the scrubs, lotions and potions. Do you and do it well. Once you’ve found one way to heart, it’ll come back wanting more. If you fly in with one million products, customers won’t know what to cling on to, they might not order your best product and end up dissatisfied.

Where do you stand ethically? 💡

With a lot of the dominant forces in the beauty sector, recycling has become an absolute necessity. As companies cut their carbon footprint, the beauty marketplace has almost always followed suit. Due to the social responsibility owed by the sector, most companies are highlighting their use of recycled plastics. For example, Mac Cosmetics offer a scheme where if you return a certain amount of empty Mac products, you get a new one for free, Lush have a similar reward system with their pots. Great marketing and socially conscious.

Signed, sealed, delivered ✉️

The way your beauty brand looks is essential. After all, this is a sector that revolves around improving the way its customers feel and look. However, in the beauty sector, standing out is a little different compared to other sectors. In a rather complicated way, fitting in is standing out, which means sticking to the niche selection of the colour spectrum used by others, whilst highlighting what is better about you.

Your packaging is more about telling your story in its most basic format. Beauty sector customers don’t want a bottle littered with writing or busy graphic design work. They want you with nothing to hide.

If your product answers common problems, let people know. If your lipstick contains two colours, make it obvious. Open your mouth and speak, we want to hear about you, and we want it to echo. The consumer wants all of this, but they want it in bright white, blush pink, mint or cream.

Find us on the web 💻

Well, obviously you’re going to need a home for your product, and a brilliant e-commerce website is a great place to start. As with your packaging, the aesthetic of your website is equally valuable to the consumer. This, however, is your opportunity to talk more about your product. If your customers have wandered the web and found themselves on your website, they want to see what it is that makes you tick.

Our advice would be to hire a design agency to build your website. Firstly because building e-commerce websites can tricky as there’s a lot more going on in the background than a generic website. More importantly, because it needs to look flawless. Build something which creates the perfect place for your product to stand out. Think of it as a pedestal you are putting your product on.

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At Create8, branding is something we love to do. Aesthetically everything has a part to play; each part of the project has to compliment the previous. At Create8, we love a challenge, if anything you have read above is of interest to you or you simply want to chat. Feel free to send a message, and someone from our Manchester-based team will get back to you.

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