BRANDING

Vara Natural Skincare

Company Vara – A natural, eco-friendly skincare brand
Scope Full brand identity, including logo design, product labels, typography, and website content
Objective To create a minimalist, luxurious brand identity that conveys purity, sustainability, and inclusivity, while appealing to both men and women.

The Challenge

Vara’s goal was to break into the luxury skincare market with a brand that prioritised natural ingredients and eco-friendly practices. The challenge was to create an identity that felt premium yet accessible, and that communicated purity and simplicity without leaning too feminine or masculine.

The design needed to align with their commitment to sustainability, using clean lines, minimalist elements, and a soft, nature-inspired colour palette.

The Process

1. Brand Discovery and Concept Development

I began the project with a comprehensive discovery session to identify Vara’s core values: natural beauty, honesty, and sustainability. I wanted the brand to reflect these values through a simple, luxurious design language that would appeal to an inclusive audience.

During this phase, I defined the four pillars of Vara:

  • Purity: Clean, honest ingredients.

  • Sustainability: Commitment to eco-friendly practices.

  • Luxury: An elevated skincare experience.

  • Inclusivity: Skincare for all genders and skin types.

These values guided every design decision, from the logo to the packaging.

2. Logo Design

The Vara logo was designed to be modern and minimalist, while subtly nodding to the brand’s connection with nature. The use of the Alta typeface provided clean, strong lines, giving the brand a sense of confidence and elegance.

I added a gold leaf accent to represent the natural ingredients Vara uses, while the charcoal grey text maintained a neutral, gender-inclusive tone. The result was a logo that felt simple yet sophisticated, aligned with the brand’s luxury positioning.

Key Design Features:

  • Typography: Alta for the main logo, with a small accent in Playfair Display for product descriptions.

  • Colour Palette: A refined combination of soft gold and charcoal grey, with subtle earth tones for background and packaging.

  • Iconography: Delicate gold leaves to symbolise Vara’s dedication to nature and sustainability.

3. Colour Palette

The colour palette for Vara was chosen to reflect the brand’s commitment to natural beauty, eco-friendliness, and minimalism, while maintaining a sense of luxury and sophistication. The palette combines soft, natural tones with subtle metallic accents to communicate purity, simplicity, and elegance.

Primary Colours:

Soft Beige

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This neutral, warm tone serves as the base colour for the brand. It represents purity, calm, and natural simplicity. It’s used as the primary background color for the website, packaging, and marketing materials to create a clean and minimal look.

Light Olive Green

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A soft, earthy green that connects the brand to nature and emphasises sustainability. It is used on packaging and digital elements, adding a subtle natural feel to the design.

Off-White

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Off-white is used as a complementary neutral tone to balance the palette, ensuring that the brand retains a light, airy feel. It adds depth and dimension to the design without overpowering the softer tones.

Accent Colour:

Soft Gold

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Soft gold serves as the brand's luxury element, featured in logos, packaging, and website buttons. This gold accent enhances the brand's image while maintaining a minimalistic style.

Neutral Colour:

Charcoal Gray #4A4A4A

Charcoal gray is used for typography and text, providing a strong contrast while enhancing the brand’s neutral aesthetic. This gender-neutral colour supports readability and complements the clean design.

Usage of the Colour Palette:

  • Packaging: The primary colours serve as the background colours for product labels, ensuring a natural and minimalist look. The soft gold accents in the logo and typography elevate the product, giving it a premium feel.

  • Website and Marketing: The website uses a combination of soft beige and off-white for backgrounds, with charcoal grey used for all body text to ensure readability. The soft gold is reserved for subtle accents, like buttons or borders, to maintain a luxurious yet understated look.

By using these colours in harmony, Vara creates a visual identity that is clean, elegant, and connected to nature. The carefully selected tones ensure the brand remains grounded in its values of purity and sustainability, while the subtle use of gold ensures it feels premium and luxurious.

4. Typography and Brand Guidelines

I created a comprehensive typography system to ensure consistent use of fonts across all brand touchpoints. The primary font, Alta, was chosen for its modern, clean lines, which perfectly align with Vara’s minimalist aesthetic. The secondary font, Playfair Display, was selected for product descriptions and body text to add a touch of refinement and elegance.

Font Pairing:

  • Alta: For headings, the logo, and key brand messages.

  • Playfair Display: For body text, product descriptions, and supporting copy.

I ensured that the typeface choices maintained readability and provided a balanced, elegant visual experience for users across all touchpoints—whether on packaging, the website, or marketing materials.

5. Product Labels

For the packaging, I designed labels that reflected the minimalist and luxurious ethos of the brand. The use of soft gold accents and neutral tones (such as soft beige and light olive green) gave the packaging a clean, upscale look while keeping in line with Vara’s eco-friendly practices.

Each product’s label was designed to be simple and elegant, using concise text and clean design elements to ensure clarity and legibility on smaller cosmetic containers.

Packaging Elements:

  • Product Name: Prominent, in Playfair Display, with a focus on legibility.

  • Description: Brief, in Playfair Display, highlighting the product’s key benefit.

  • Variation: Text, in Alta highlighting skin type.

  • Colour Palette: Neutral tones with subtle gold accents to maintain a luxurious feel.

6. Website

The website mockup was designed to create a seamless experience, with a focus on clean visuals and easy navigation. Above the fold, I used a simple headline and subheadline to introduce Vara’s core values and key products.

Above the Fold Content:

  • Headline: Pure Ingredients, Honest Results.

  • Subheadline: Discover pure, eco-friendly skincare designed for radiant, healthy skin. Simple, effective, and sustainable.

  • Call to Action: Shop Our Collection

Below the Fold Content:

I expanded on the brand story and product benefits, focusing on natural ingredients and sustainable practices. Simple product highlights and clear calls to action guided visitors toward learning more about each product.

Final Outcome

The final brand identity for Vara is a cohesive blend of natural beauty, luxury, and eco-conscious values. From the logo to the product labels, every detail reflects the purity and simplicity that Vara embodies. The result is a brand that stands out in the luxury skincare market while staying true to its commitment to sustainability and inclusivity.