Branding Private Label Makeup with Your Name Pro

If you read my blog or know me personally, you know that before I was a working makeup artist and beauty blogger, I was riding the struggle bus, and pretty hard, as a graphic designer. I received a design degree and pursued what I thought I wanted to do. But as it turns out, graphic design wasn’t for me. I got laid off twice and now I see that it was all leading me to makeup. So how funny that here I sit, having just completed a logo for a Your Name Pro private label lip product line, but not for a client this time. This time, it’s for me. This is a product I’ll be selling. Full circle moment folks! I know not everyone is a graphic designer-turned-makeup artist, though there are many, so let me tell you how I designed this logo so that you might translate it to a designer when you reach that step in the development of your own line.

product-drawings

When branding your Your Name Pro products, you can create and affix your own labels to the packaging or use the hot stamping method, (the design is printed onto the packaging itself.) Whichever method you choose, the brand identity is the same. But where to start? This video will take you through the entire process or you can just keep reading!

Ask yourself these 5 questions

  1. What am I attracted to on the shelves of Sephora?
  2. How does that packaging make me feel?
  3. What words do I want my brand/logo to evoke?
  4. Do I want the brand to be personal, i.e. include my name, or be separate from my identity?
  5. Who is my target audience and what speaks to them?

Here are my answers to those questions

  • I like minimalism. I am attracted to modern, clean design and sans serif fonts.
  • It makes me feel like I’m buying what the “cool girls” are. It’s semi-hipster, but mostly chic and simple and nothing extra.
  • I want someone to associate my brand with what the cool girl is wearing. I want my brand to look enticing in an Instagram photo. Cutesy, feminine or frilly…those are words I don’t want associated. That’s just as important as what you do. Just as I ask a client, “have you ever had your makeup done and hated it? Why?”
  • Identity-wise, I go by Wake Up For Makeup here on my blog, Ivy Boyd as the makeup artist and for this brand, I want it to be complementary but separate. I’m not famous enough to go by just my name. Ivy Boyd means nothing to most people outside my circle. I mean, did you even know that was my name? My middle name is Savanah, something you might know from my Instagram name, @ivysavanah. My mom has always called me Savanah Jane; no idea why. Jane is no one. But it’s the perfectly meaningful but ambiguous name I’ve been searching for. It’s tied to me but it isn’t me. Savanah Jane could be anyone.
  • My target audience is brides, first and foremost. I know that my packaging needs to look pretty in a photo in which they’re touching up their lipstick. A photo of their little clutch’s contents.

lipstick-mockupWith those key branding questions answered, let’s break down the anatomy of a logo.

3 Types of Logos
– Symbol/icon
– Typographic
– Hybrid

Most logos are a hybrid. Don’t rule out the typographic ones as boring though. Some of the most iconic brands are nothing but smart fonts. Marc Jacobs. Chanel. It’s not abnormal for a logo to have several forms. For example, the space available on a lip liner is much smaller than a lipstick so you might need to modify your logo for this.

Visually, I am always drawn to geometric shapes, particularly triangles. I have a superstition about 3’s and the triangle feels strong and safe. I kept coming back to this. I am also offering 3 key products that follow a triangular shape in order of application: lip liner, lipstick, lipgloss. It’s the perfect trifecta.

Because I have existing brands in Wake Up For Makeup as well as Ivy Boyd, Makeup Artist. I wanted to make sure my branding could slide right alongside these so the font choice was easy.

This is how I’ve arrived at Savanah Jane, living inside an inverted triangle and just the typeface when the space requires it. I am hot stamping my Your Name Pro products so will be providing my logo based on the product line drawings. The next time I see this logo will be on the actual products themselves. Talk about surreal!

liner-mockupA Target employee once remarked at the nice design of a Kleenex box, excusing his comment by saying “Sorry, I’m studying graphic design. I notice weird stuff like that” I reassured him that I also studied graphic design. He asked if I liked it. I answered, “well, tell you what. Someday, you might become a makeup artist.”

To watch the process and get more branding tips, check out my video.

This #PrivateLabel101 series is made possible by Your Name Professional Brands. All opinions expressed are my own.

5 Comments

  1. Barbara Thomas

    07/21/2016 at 9:20 AM

    Loved this blog post! It’s so real and honest. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Ivy Boyd

      07/21/2016 at 9:32 AM

      I’m glad you enjoyed it, Barbara! Thanks so much for reading!

  2. Coeli Nartey

    07/21/2016 at 11:55 AM

    This is so exciting! I have a feeling that Savanah Jane Lips is only the beginning! ?

    1. Ivy Boyd

      05/07/2017 at 5:10 PM

      Hi Chris! Price varies but as with most wholesale structures, the more you buy, the lower the price per unit.

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