NATURALLY NOURISHED.
Packaging, Publishing
Art Direction: Paul Kepple
Made For: Tyler School of Art and Architecture
A hair care brand that focuses on curly and afro-textured hair types supplemented with a book that contains a collection of interviews about people’s experiences.
Background
When trying to come up with a concept for my senior thesis, I thought about tackling something that was something personal to me: hair care. Growing up in the early 2000s-2010s, I’ve always gotten negative comments about my curly hair from family members and classmates. Once I reached High School, I decided to wear my hair naturally but realized that hair care for my hair type was inaccessible or nonexistent. I was completely lost and deeply struggled with finding what products worked for my hair and what didn’t. I eventually realized that this issue wasn’t something unique, but a universal issue for people with curly hair.
Brand Direction + Packaging
Taking influence from my personal experience, I wanted to create a brand where it’s straightforward and easy to understand. I remember when I started looking for hair products, I wasn’t sure which products were good for my specific hair type. For someone who is in the beginning stages of treating their hair, anything with clear direction is crucial. I decided to make my branding focus on high contrast so it’s easy to spot and also color-coded the products so it’s easy to distinguished which items focus on which hair type.
Mandalas + Stickers
Alongside my packaging having high contrast when it comes to type, I designed mandalas and stickers. Since I wanted the products to cater to specific hair types, I wanted the stickers to emphasize their differences. Wording on the stickers was also important because coily hair requires more moisture compared to other types of curly hair. With this information, it gives more importance to telling the difference between each product.
Initially, I wanted to show the curl patterns on the bottles so people could visually see the similarities their hair had with the packaging. However, that direction didn’t lead to anything exciting. Instead, I created mandalas that contain specific curl patterns designated to what hair type they cater towards.
Book + Interviews
Alongside the packaging, I wanted to create a book that details the experiences of people about their hair care journey. What helped me understand what products I needed and what I should do to treat my hair properly was by listening to others describe what they went through. I also wanted to highlight serious issues such as racism, beauty standards, classism, and more throughout this book as it’s a big component of why curly hair is treated negatively in society.
Full Book Presentation
To read the full book without any mockup and only flat images, you can access the pdf over here!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Alyssa Chambers, Zoe Descoteaux, Ade Jones, Anna Williams, and Vanessa Veri for providing me with their experiences about their hair care journey!