I was contacted by a client via email. She requested a strong brand for a cosmetics company and mentioned that she already had some ideas. It was an established brand, and the client already had a basic kit and paid fonts that she had been using across the brand. She wanted to organize everything into a unified system by creating a logo and a brand guide for her company.
Logo design process
Based on the design brief, I identified the key brand tags: strong, modern, chic, feminine, simple, and premium.
I also analyzed the consumers’ needs: they are looking for skin health and self-beauty. It is almost always about confidence, yet also vulnerability, as skin beauty is a very sensitive matter. I wanted to combine these confident and delicate aspects of the brand into a single logo.
I chose a wide, bold font — it conveyed a sense of confidence and strength. To balance this impression, I wanted to add lighter, eye-catching elements as a symbol, and a handmade approach made sense, as it feels feminine and softens the overall design.
I created the symbol using a Wacom tablet to add a human, unique, and original touch. Once I was satisfied with the look, I finalized it by refining the lines in Illustrator to make the symbol more elegant and precise.
You may also be interested in another beauty brand – Bold, clever logo and brand guide for a hydration med spa
Brand guide design
A cosmetics brand exists in a highly visual and emotionally driven space, so it’s important to communicate the right message to its clients. If the core idea combines feminine softness and masculine confidence, it should be expressed through the brand’s colors, elements, and visual proportions.
I always start with the technical aspect of the logo, as it’s very important for clients. They use logos in different contexts—web design, posters, social media—so having multiple layouts is essential for everyone.
Color scheme and palettes for a cosmetics company
As I mentioned before, the brand combines feminine elegance and masculine boldness. The most obvious approach is using light and dark contrasts, with blush pink and dark gray as the most suitable shades.
Love exploring colors? This brand has a strong and confident palette you’ll love – Clean and warm logo & brand services for Tran Real Estate
Visualisation and mockups
Once the color palette is approved, I start visualizing. It helps me define color proportions. I consider which items the brand will use most and build the visual system based on that. In this case, the client primarily used print and web for their business.
Using mockups, I translate the design for people who are not designers. I show the brand’s geometry and possible placements on different surfaces, so they can apply it themselves across multiple teams.
For example, the business card design below doesn’t include details like email or phone, but it clearly demonstrates element placement, layout, and the print methods to use. You can also check the business card design for another brand – Logo and stationary design for an interior design company
The brand guide also includes typography guidelines and brand elements such as patterns and social media avatars.
You can review a second project of this brand – Packaging design for a cosmetic mask and its applicator