Eau de Saint Tropez was entering the premium men's category with the same visual shorthand: dark bottles, hard typography, rugged imagery. Nothing in it signaled quality, only attitude. I built a packaging and identity system that took its cues from Mediterranean light instead of gym-floor masculinity, so the product read as expensive on a shelf before anyone picked it up. 8 SKUs shipped, listed in 14 retailers/sell-through results.
CLIENT ▸ Eau de Saint-Tropez, France
YEAR ▸ 2019-2021
AREA ▸ Beauty & Personal Care — Men's Grooming, CPG
AUDIENCE ▸ Retail Buyer, End Consumer
SCOPE ▸ Brand identity, packaging system, campaign and lifestyle direction
SCALE 8 SKUs, 6 packaging formats, 16-month engagement
ROLE ▸ Art Director, Freelance
TEAM ▸ Led 1 photographer, 1 retoucher, and 1 packaging producer
PROCESS ▸ Category audit → positioning and mood → identity and packaging system → art direction and rollout guidelines
YEAR ▸ 2019-2021
AREA ▸ Beauty & Personal Care — Men's Grooming, CPG
AUDIENCE ▸ Retail Buyer, End Consumer
SCOPE ▸ Brand identity, packaging system, campaign and lifestyle direction
SCALE 8 SKUs, 6 packaging formats, 16-month engagement
ROLE ▸ Art Director, Freelance
TEAM ▸ Led 1 photographer, 1 retoucher, and 1 packaging producer
PROCESS ▸ Category audit → positioning and mood → identity and packaging system → art direction and rollout guidelines
The Challenge
Commoditized shelf. Black, chrome, performance claims, no differentiation
Real product difference, but no visual language to carry it
Three seconds to justify a premium price without a technical claim
Commoditized shelf. Black, chrome, performance claims, no differentiation
Real product difference, but no visual language to carry it
Three seconds to justify a premium price without a technical claim
Strategic Approach
Performance to place. Saint Tropez is proprietary; a benefit claim is not
Mediterranean palette, light and register. Nobody in the category was there
Restraint as the rule. Subtraction reads as price
Performance to place. Saint Tropez is proprietary; a benefit claim is not
Mediterranean palette, light and register. Nobody in the category was there
Restraint as the rule. Subtraction reads as price
Creative Solution
Built on light, not contrast. Soft neutrals, one accent, minimal type
Logotype drawn small. Palette and composition carry the quality across 8 SKUs
Imagery under the same rule. Natural light, real texture, no gloss
Built on light, not contrast. Soft neutrals, one accent, minimal type
Logotype drawn small. Palette and composition carry the quality across 8 SKUs
Imagery under the same rule. Natural light, real texture, no gloss
Scope & System
8 Primary SKUs across shower gel and body wash, plus secondary packaging and retail materials
One structural grid across every format. New products drop in without redrawing the system
Color as variant logic. Palette fixed, accent shifts per line. One family on shelf, each product findable
8 Primary SKUs across shower gel and body wash, plus secondary packaging and retail materials
One structural grid across every format. New products drop in without redrawing the system
Color as variant logic. Palette fixed, accent shifts per line. One family on shelf, each product findable
Deliverables
Logotype and brand identity system
Primary and secondary packaging design across 8 SKUs
Color and typographic system with variant logic
Campaign and lifestyle art direction
Digital and social brand visuals
Rollout guidelines
Logotype and brand identity system
Primary and secondary packaging design across 8 SKUs
Color and typographic system with variant logic
Campaign and lifestyle art direction
Digital and social brand visuals
Rollout guidelines
Role & Leadership
Brand Design Lead
Brought in at launch and working directly with the founder. I owned the positioning argument, the identity, the packaging system and the art direction of the imagery.
Led a photographer, a retoucher and a packaging producer through shoot and production.
The harder part of the job was not design. It was holding the restraint. Every review cycle brings pressure to add a claim, a badge, a second color.
Keeping the system quiet is what kept it premium.
Brand Design Lead
Brought in at launch and working directly with the founder. I owned the positioning argument, the identity, the packaging system and the art direction of the imagery.
Led a photographer, a retoucher and a packaging producer through shoot and production.
The harder part of the job was not design. It was holding the restraint. Every review cycle brings pressure to add a claim, a badge, a second color.
Keeping the system quiet is what kept it premium.
On The Work
In beauty and grooming, packaging is the product until someone uses it once. Perception comes before proof.
This project shows how far restraint travels in a category that shouts, and how a sense of place can do the work that a performance claim cannot.
In beauty and grooming, packaging is the product until someone uses it once. Perception comes before proof.
This project shows how far restraint travels in a category that shouts, and how a sense of place can do the work that a performance claim cannot.
Created a logo that reflects the elegance and lifestyle of the French Riviera
while remaining flexible across product lines.
while remaining flexible across product lines.
Want to create a brand that
captures attention on a global scale?
captures attention on a global scale?
