Youthforia – A Gen-Z Beauty Brand

Youthforia is a US-based clean beauty brand targeting Gen Z with the mission to make makeup more playful. They want makeup to be fun, environmentally friendly and good for your skin. With its purposefully messy, uncurated and raw design Youthforia takes you right back to the 90s.

Sydney-based design studio Universal Favourite launched a new branding for US beauty brand Youthforia, whose mission is to make makeup more playful. To appeal to a Gen Z market, bored by the minimal aesthetic approach, Universal Favourite created a maximalist identity that is purposefully messy, uncurated and raw. Given the Gen Z direction of the brand, nailing the digital experience was key. The website, as well as all social media assets, need to both work together seamlessly and allow for flexibility to showcase a brand that’s constantly moving, evolving and flexing — much like its audience. To reflect the brand’s intention to let you flex your self-expression, Youthforia works with energetic shapes and stickers rolled out across packaging, product and digital touchpoints. The brand’s premise of having fun and playing around extends to its packaging. Each item comes in different colours, with different holders to choose from. “The magnetic pans designed into the suite allow users to click, combine, stack and arrange their Youthforia makeup to suit their mood — an idea also reflected in the logo. They can mix and match their product arrangements based on however they’re feeling that day” says Dari Israelstam, Founder & Creative Director at Universal Favourite.

Bee Balm – Sustainable Packaging

Gustaf and Linnea is a Swedish company based in Gotland working towards a future with less plastic. Together with beekeepers in Gotland and around Sweden they produce ecological handmade lip balms made of beeswax. 

      

Gustaf and Linnea want to contribute to a more sustainable future for wild pollinators which is crucial for our ecosystem. Instead of using the typical plastic packaging for their lip balms they have chosen to use recyclable push up paper tubes to decrease the usage of plastic. The lip balm comes in four different scents and the packaging for each scent has its own unique decorative illustration representing the Swedish Flora. The design is created by Outhouse Gravitz & Kusinerna on Gotland. You can buy the product from Bra Sak.

Product photos: Bra Sak and Gustaf & Linnea

By Josefine Karlsson and Ellen Ranebo on 29 April, 2021

Tree to textile – textile made of cellulose

TreeToTextile, owned by H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, Stora Enso, and LSCS Invest, now invests €35 million in constructing a demonstration plant in Sweden. It is a critical next step towards commercializing a new sustainable textile fiber, with scalable technology and low manufacturing cost. The aim is to make sustainable textile fibers available to all.

More sustainable and fossil-free materials are needed in the textile industry. TreeToTextile is a company based in Sweden that develops sustainable textile fiber made from cellulose to reduce the textile industry’s environmental footprint. This fiber made from cellulose can be used as an alternative to both cotton and synthetic fibers. With this technology the use of energy, chemicals and water will decrease in comparison to the production of conventional fibers. It also includes a recovery system for the reuse of chemicals and is suited for large-scale production. TreeToTextile is now investing in a demonstration plant, at Stora Enso’s Nymölla mill in southern Sweden, for upscaling the process technology. The plant construction will start during spring 2021.

Our technology has the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of the textile industry significantly. With our owners’ support, innovative agendas, know-how, and size, we assess that TreeToTextile can play an important contributing part globally, in enabling the textile industry to become sustainable and circular, says TreeToTextile’s CEO Sigrid Barnekow.

Editors: Ellen Ranebo & Josefine Karlsson, Broby Grafiska

Peas for future

A new sorbet made from green peas, grown in Sweden, will be launched later this spring. The sorbet is produced by da Aldo, an ice cream company with production at Foodhills in Bjuv. Foodhills is a hub and catalyst for circular food production.

   

Foodhills, based in southern Sweden, is a catalyst working for circular food production. Foodhills, owned by Backahill, Lantmännen and Healthrunner, helps companies develop and test their food, making sure production is according to sustainable standards. This limited edition sorbet is produced by da Aldo in collaboration with Foodhills. The product is made from green peas grown in southern Sweden (Skåne & Halland). Designed by Björn Berglund.

Editors: Josefine Karlsson & Ellen Ranebo, Broby Grafiska

New Design for China’ Mizone

The 1.4 billion Chinese market is undergoing massive changes these years. The so-called ‘Post 95’ generation has made the Chinese consumer more brand-aware than ever before. To remain relevant, Mizone looked to rediscover its core values and catapult the brand into the new decade.

Mizone Lineup Compostition RGB

With a rejuvenated brand design, Mizone is strengthening its market-leading position in the Chinese functional beverage category. Danish brand and design agency Everland helped relaunch China’s fifth-largest beverage brand, targeting the next generation of Chinese consumers.

Now Mizone, China’s fifth largest non-alcoholic beverage brand and owned by Danone, is ready with a rejuvenated brand experience that speaks directly to the China of tomorrow. With help from Danish design agency Everland, the brand has been repositioned and redesigned to reflect a new product formulation and the bold, brave and independant spirit of the Post 95’ers.

“Mizone translates “my pulse” in Chinese. The idea of individuality and a pulsating flow became a central concept when working on relaunching one of China’s largest brands. The pulse became the visual common thread, symbolising the thriving city and human drive, explains Calle Larsson, Creative Director & Partner at Everland.

In close collaboration with Danone China, Everland developed the visual identity for the entire product line, and are currently working on new innovations, which will further help strengthen Mizone’s new position in the Chinese market.

The new design also reinforces Mizone as leader of the functional beverages category. A niche the brand defined when it launched in 2003. Design agency Everland has the privilege of working with Danone across the globe. For the last year, they have worked with the French FMCG giant in Denmark, France, Poland, Great Britain, Indonesia and China.

By Kristina de Verdier on 5 June, 2020

SAS x Tjoget

SAS asked Sweden’s best bar, Tjoget, to produce pre-mixed drinks for aircraft use. Open Studio designed the package. The result is a tactile experience as well as a story to enjoy during the flight.

To showcase their Scandinavian expertise, SAS asked Sweden’s best bar, Tjoget, to produce pre-mixed drinks for aircraft use. The drinks needed a package. With the same illustrative way that is recognizable from the bar, each drink’s story is told in the most complicated way possible, all with the aim of at 10,000 meters altitude, helping the traveler to pass the time with more than the contents of the bottle. In addition, the shape of the bottle with its prismas invites you to turn it in the light and its illustrations to turn it in the darkness of the head. Designed by Stockholm based Open Studio.

By Kristina de Verdier on 3 April, 2020

DAC – Designers Against Coronavirus

In these difficult times it has been amazing to see the participation of people in the creative industries. Many have created illustrations, graphics and moving images to inform, express solidarity and spread hope. Italian CaroselloLab wanted to make sure this work doesn’t get lost. In the last days they have therefore been fully committed in the creation and launch of DAC – Designers Against Coronavirus.

DAC is a digital archive curated by Milan-based CaroselloLab which presents the current circumstances in the eyes of designers, illustrators, and creatives from around the world. In contradiction to the fear and distrust spreading by the Covid-19, DAC aims to inspire communication, sharing and giving visibility to works that unite people through beauty and creativity. The project began on March the 25th and will be officially launched throughout the website and social media by April the 3rd. The archive will feature the best Coronavirus-related artworks, including credits and links to the creators. Moreover, DAC will feature a link to donate funds to trustworthy international partners.
By Kristina de Verdier on 30 March, 2020

SAS Sustainable Packaging

Looking to the future, Scandinavian Airlines aims to reach substantial sustainability goals and lessen their carbon impact by 2030. One of the many steps towards more sustainable travel involves minimising waste and the use of fossil fuel plastics through a sustainable packaging solution.

Designed by Scandinavian branding & design agency Bold. The smart and sustainable New Nordic by SAS Cube has been transformed with a design that minimises the use of oil-based plastic, saving up to 51 tons of plastic per year. The former inside plastic container has been replaced by an FSC-approved paper with a plastic coating and a plastic lid made from organic plant-based plastic. Not only that, the lightweight packaging will lessen the onboard mass balancing the carbon impact; an important contributing factor to sustainable travel.

“For the packaging design concept, we’ve taken the proud wordmark as a starting point: by zooming in on typographic details, we create intriguing crops that can be applied to the packaging. These crops can be recombined in many surprising ways, just like the food ingredients chefs have selected for the onboard menus. The design elements developed for SAS are inspired by how chefs work with food. Choosing the best parts of each raw material and allowing them to interact. The packaging material used is natural craft paper, with embossed stamps that signify different dishes and graphic shapes to distinguish menu items and condiments.”

 

Refillable bottles for people in cities

Phil the bottle is the City Bottle that chooses free water, offered by the drinking fountains to be found in cities, in parks and gardens, in squares and along the streets.

Phil the bottle is the City Bottle that chooses free water, offered by the drinking fountains to be found in cities, in parks and gardens, in squares and along the streets. On the back of each bottle there is a list of the city’s drinking fountain locations, where it can be filled. Design: Emanuele Pizzolorusso Client: Palomar

 

By Kristina de Verdier on 11 September, 2019

SWEDISH INNOVATION CAN REPLACE SINGLE USE PLASTIC

PulPac is a production method that dry-molds wood pulp (cellulose) into almost any shape or appearance in less than a second. The fast production speed makes the method very cost effective, as opposed to existing papermaking methods.

Single-use plastics and packaging is in the global spotlight. The packaging industry and brand owners are facing a huge shift, driven by both consumer and regulatory demands. So far, producing sustainable packaging has been too expensive for change to happen on a global scale.

PulPac is the world’s first patented method that can replace single use plastic at a lower cost on a global scale. The material, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable generic pulp from cellulose, makes it sustainable. A PulPac product can be cellulose only, which will dissolve in water within minutes. It can also be modified to hold moisture or liquids or to be strong and protect heavy and complex products. The main principle however, is to design for purpose. A PulPac product should last its use and then break down, regardless of where it ends up.

The PulPac technology is developed and patented by PulPac AB, a Swedish R&D and IP Company established in 2018. To reach out on a global scale, the PulPac technology is offered to brand owners and converters on a licensing basis. The aim is to disrupt the packaging industry and make impact at scale in reducing single-use plastics and contribute to a sustainable future for people and planet.

ÆCORN A NEW NON-ALCOHOLIC APERITIF

Pearlfisher New York creates new non-alcoholic aperitif brand and packaging for Æcorn Aperitifs to redesign the way the world drinks

Seedlip is a Nature Company on a mission to change the way the world drinks with the highest quality non-alcoholic options. Pearlfisher has now created the identity and detailed packaging design for a range of non-alcoholic aperitifs.

“Inspired by 17th century herbal remedies as well as lepidopterology (the study of moths and butterflies), we built a refined ecosystem for Æcorn Aperitif’s identity, brand world and packaging design to develop within. Traditionally an alcoholic beverage, the before-dinner drink has long been understood to increase our enjoyment of food. Æcorn Aperitifs makes way for exciting, new options and extends the backbar beyond wine, spritzes and vermouth with three varietals – Dry, Bitter and Aromatic.”

“We took all the elements provided by the Æcorn team and wove them into a story of duality – the levity of the butterfly and the foundation of the oak, a key ingredient of each varietal. The team at Æcorn shared an aphorism that says, “From small acorns, mighty oaks grow”. This set us on the path for the brand to cover new territory as a nature company, establish brand world touch-points and breathe new life into the aperitif drinking occasion. Designed by Pearlfisher for Seedlip.”

HOW PACE AND POLITICS ARE INFLUENCING COLOUR TRENDS

In just a decade the biggest driver of colour trends for branding and packaging has moved from fashion to social media, according to UK designers, with technology predicted to become the biggest influence by 2030. James Cropper spoke to 500 designers about what’s driving colour trends.

colour trends 2019

The specialist papermaker and colour expert James Cropper spoke to 500 designers about what’s driving colour trends in the modern context. Here are six themes that came out as crucial for the future of colour. Mark Starrs, Master Colour Blender at James Cropper says “Palettes are now progressive, political, environmental, and as ever, personal.” James Cropper’s PROGRESSIVE PALETTES REPORT will be free and released in full at the LuxePack Monaco event in October 2019, as well as being available to pre-order here from May 2019. It will include insights from leading peers, customers and industry experts across a range of topics exploring the modern context of colour.

Sustainability

For 80% of designers, sustainability is having an impact on colour trends. It’s therefore no surprise that the plastic crisis is the thing that resonates the most amongst designers (73%). Sustainability goals was a key consideration for three quarters (76%) of creatives when it comes to choosing colour, and a fifth (20%) predict that in the next ten years the impact of sustainability on colour trends will grow.

The impact of ecommerce 

Just under two in five designers (38%) agree that colour is key to creating a brilliant customer experience with online purchases, believing that the packaging replaces the in-store purchasing experience.

Globalisation 

A third of designers (35%) agree that the need to take cultural influences into account means that brands are moving towards a palette of colours to allow for more fluidity. A third (33%) also agree that colour consistency across markets matters more for luxury brands than for high street brands. Whilst the majority confirm (79%) that achieving colour consistency across regions greatly affects the design process.

Instagram-ability 

On average, 34% of briefs that designers receive include the requirement for the design to be ‘Instagram-able’, citing characteristics of this to be about colours that stand out, are trend setting, distinctive, bright, bold and consistent with branding.

Colour and storytelling 

Almost half (44%) of designers agree that colour is essential to effective storytelling, and that effective storytelling requires more than just one colour. Perhaps indicating a trend away from a set palette, a third (36%) of designers agree that new brands are much less tied to set colours, instead favouring brand stories.

Colour in a digital world 

Almost half (45%) of designers agree the digital world has allowed brands to play with colour, mix things up and tailor brand experiences for particular markets or sectors, opening up a world of opportunity because things can be so easily changed (43%).

By Kristina de Verdier on 4 June, 2019 In , , ,

Shell Works Transforms seafood waste into bioplastic

Four designers from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College have found a second life for seafood waste. The shells of seafood are transformed into a paper-like material that could act as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. 

The Shell Works transforms the shells of seafood into a paper-like material that could act as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. Four designers from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College have developed a series of machines that turn seafood waste into a biodegradable and recyclable bioplastic. The material consists of a mixture of vinegar and a biopolymer called chitin – a fibrous substance that makes up the exoskeleton of crustaceans and the cell walls of fungi. The material has been used to make anti-bacterial blister packaging, food-safe carrier bags and self-fertilising plant pots.

BESPOKE EXPERIENCES – DESIGNED STORYTELLING

Consuming experiences instead of mass-produced goods has been emphasized in recent years; travel, self- and soul-care have been marketed as obvious alternatives, canvassed against a backdrop of bleak mass-produced goods in abundance. This is one of many signs of how we have shifted our mindset from being a production society to a service society. We also see patterns in the way we live – values become more important than results, personal branding and relations more important than social status.

Jonas Lundin Love art business
Jonas is the CEO of the design agency LA + B in Stockholm and teaches Semiotics and ID generation at Konstfack Stockholm, and guest lectures among others at LTH in Lund, Arkitekthögskolan / KTH Stockholm and Berghs Stockholm. Jonas has been running design activities for 20 years in areas such as high-tech industrial design, packaging, marketing, media, TV and film, and has worked with customers such as Absolut Vodka, Volvo, Husqvarna, Nobel, SVT and others. This article was first published in Scandinavian Man issue 4, 2019, and has been edited. 

Our view on technology and innovation, previously portrayed as either savior or foe is also maturing slowly. AI – Artificial Intelligence – is reformulated into Assisted Intelligence, implying that it is not, nor will it ever will be, an autonomous species, but rather a smart tool. Virtual Reality, once seen as a next generation media platform, is, together with its siblings AR (Augmented Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality), renamed Virtual Influence, as an inspiring part of a larger context rather than one sole channel for storytelling. 
 
Data and big data, while tremendously useful, should be used with care; data is often flawed and often contains bias inherent even in the instrument of its collection. A single-minded focus on quantitative performance may presume that we all value progress at the expense of our humanity. Consumers, increasingly sensitive to the fact of every facet of their lives being reduced, tracked and funneled into a data-driven marketplace, grow weary of products that reinforce their anonymity and look for experiences in which they can find themselves. And so we find that the pendulum slowly swings towards the value-based, the empathic, the relationship-focused and the notion of a diffuse and complex society.

Companies and creatives creating experiences that consider the unique and diverse experiences, needs, and desires of their users have the opportunity to shape experiences which are customized by the perception and input of the user.

And it is through working out from this understanding that is the key to success today –– by creating a seamless narrative with clear values, showing empathetic understanding of the recipient, being transparent about who we are and what we offer. Not only our flawless façades but also by sharing how our backyard looks. Great innovation can be narrative and experiential. Innovation is not limited to the technological.

But one might ask, what of the consumer goods, then? Well, their relevance persists, but in concert with a larger whole. Products, their packaging, and physical environments represent the worldly, the powerful sensory experiences where the digital world has yet a long way to go. Physical entities, like packaging is an interface in open dialogue with consumers, and they are at their best when in conversation with an overall story. The days when the product’s monologue is in central focus are over. 

Brands such as Goop, with Gwyneth Paltrow at the helm, have understood this shift, and offer not only beauty products but also related experiences such as yoga classes, and wellness opportunities or conferences in a storytelling flow both online, at activations points and through their products and packaging. Apple highlights how the balance of services and products has become their new focus, cleverly building their own ecosystem of these, and after building momentum (or creating hype), Apple manifest their own myth through big announcement events. 
 
Creating a new dialogue and relevant collaborations have in recent years become a new standard for most brands in the fashion industry. Streetwear brand Supreme, takes this even further. Through digital and physical events, they announce collaborations with both high-street fashion brands as well as geeky gadget brands or mundane crockery companies. In an almost postmodern journey, they trigger our imagination, playing on gamification cornerstones like scarcity and randomness, giving space for other voices in their narrative, as well as embedding a sense of actuality.
 
If it is coherent, and if it is done right, good narrative, empathically engages the needs of the recipient, who at any given time can jump in and out of the story, and creates a bespoke experience to be enjoyed in both the digital and physical realms.
4 pointers when creating bespoke experience:
  • Understand the story you want to tell, from the receivers’ perspective. Enhance it by activating as many senses as possible per channel. Find new rooms and mediums – and pair, mix and enhance the narrative with traditional such as packaging, product design, POS and environments. The strongest impressions are still the haptic and spatial.
  • Innovate with empathy (not to be confused with sympathy). Create experiences that understand the user and build relevance.
  • Use data wisely. We have more data than ever, but it tells a one-sided story. Perceive the story behind the data. Use semiotics, and semantics; mix both explicit and implicit narrative in your communication.
  • Show your backyard, show the factory, be transparent, and let your receiver in.

Burger King ‘Real Meals’

Burger King comes after McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’ by releasing ‘The Real Meal’. A range of meal boxes that come in various emotions. Because no one is happy all the time.

Burger King has released ‘Real Meals’, a range of meal boxes that come in various emotions and therefore sit in opposition to McDonald’s renowned Happy Meal. The chain is asking diners to order a meal based on their current mood, whether that is Pissed, Blue, Salty, YAAAS or DGAF.Burger King takes aim at McDonald’s with ‘Real Meals’. Burger King is taking creating on one of the most iconic fast-food meals of all time in aide of a good cause. The campaign is part of a collaboration with Mental Health America to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. The fast-food chain has even created a new hashtag, #feelyourway, to go along with the campaign that riffs off its regular catch-phrase of ‘have it your way’.

By Kristina de Verdier on 7 May, 2019