Beauty and cosmetic industries have an incredible potential to develop loyal customers. Beauty products are a staple in bathroom cabinets around the world; whether a person is going for an “I woke up like this” look or the avant garde “makeup is art you wear on your face” feel, just about every woman (not to mention tons of men!) use beauty products on the daily.
This means if you own a beauty or cosmetics line, the potential for some serious business is there. But it also means if you want to grab that business and take it for yourself, you’re going to need to find a way to break through the clutter, jump off the shelf at Sephora, and tell your ideal customer “THIS is the lipstick for you!” And the best way to do that is your labelling.
Your label is the first thing the beauty die-hards you want to turn into customers are going to see. If your label grabs their attention and speaks to what they’re looking for, they’re likely to take your product home and give it a try. If not? It’s likely to gather dust on the shelf.
It’s important to know who you’re designing for. Who’s your ideal customer? Are they tween girls just as obsessed with sparkles as they are with boy bands? Are they women of colour who want makeup that actually (finally) matches their skin tone? Are they men who are masculine… but also want baby soft skin? And once you know who they are, what are they looking for in a cosmetics brand? What’s going to grab their attention?
Just as important as your customer’s identity is your identity. What’s your branding? Are you dark and edgy? Simple and classic? Luxurious (like Dior)? Accessible? Who you are as a brand—and the personality you want to portray to your customers—is going to determine what design elements you use on your labels.
A great thing to do before you start designing is to create a mood board for your brand. Pull together images, colours, advertisements and whatever else you feel embodies your brand personality; these will act as inspiration as you go through the design process.
Remember that you want to pick a look that’s both modern and on trend, but also timeless and universally appealing, so your labelling design looks up-to-date for as long as possible.
