KNOW Beauty

We refreshed a celebrity brand with a new visual system that was authentic to her and her audience.

There is no denying the rise of celebrity skincare lines in recent years. From Kylie Jenner to Rihanna, and even Brad Pitt – it has become an increasingly competitive space. In summer 2021, Vanessa Hudgens launched her own line with KNOW Beauty. Though the product sought to be unique, ultimately what is truly own-able is the name behind the brand and what drives Vanessa’s popularity with her millions of followers. In this sense, Know Beauty in its first iteration missed the mark on capitalising on her personality, vision, and essence with a brand identity and tone of voice that felt somewhat removed from her, subsequently losing a huge opportunity to speak directly with and engage her audience.

With new investment into the brand and the opportunity to reset the direction, our goal for the KNOW Beauty 2.0 was to create an identity that was more inline with Vanessa’s own personal brand; after all, she was going to be heavily involved and the face of the line and should truly represent her.

A new hero product took centre stage for the line. At a time when skincare is increasingly complex, with 5-step regimes and confusing chemical formulations that expect young consumers to become experts overnight, KNOW Beauty saw the opportunity to take things back to basics. with a tried and tested method that utilised natural ingredients including mineral-infused colloidal clay.

In addition to a brand identity that resonated with Vanessa, we also wanted something that encapsulated the mystical nature of the centuries old technique of clay masks. Our guiding key words that reflected both Vanessa and the product were sensual, mysterious, elegant, and natural. Visual inspiration for the brand came from the fluidity and mystery of iridescence seen in natural beauty; from beetles to seashells, opals to butterflies, the glossy poreless surfaces that produce a brilliant sheen and texture and something we want to emulate with our skincare. As such, the art direction for the brand and colour strategy played heavily into gradients, with colours lifted directly from nature.

Process

Brand Identity

6 weeks

Art Direction

2 weeks

Packaging Design

3 weeks

Website Design

3 weeks

1/8

We were very mindful of the need to create a brand that felt genuine to the face behind it. Especially today when there are so many celebrity lines - this one really had to feel like an extension of Vanessa. Our challenge was getting this balance right between aesthetics, a point of difference, and something authentic to her.

Jen Barry
General Manager, CONSTANT