The Focus
St. Botanica has rapidly earned a lion’s share since 2015 with their focus on scientific, premium offerings in the beauty space
Their packaging design and system faced certain challenges, from inconsistency to datedness, necessitating a design overhaul.
Approached the team at Elephant to help modernize the design, while creating ownable elements, colours and more, themed with a focus on exotic ingredients from all over the world to convey expertise with a natural edge.
The Design
The team worked on a brand-new, decluttered format with a circular enclosure with key information taking centre-stage.
The ingredient story is enhanced via the use of realistic illustrations that surround the circle, with patterns that clearly distinguish their globally sourced, expertise-driven offerings from naturally alluring ones.
Our solution enhances the exotic, one-of-a-kind, yet effective ingredient treatment for divas seeking that right, luxurious mix of unique and effective.
The system is cohesive, with the team using an ownable yet unconventional deep-blue complemented by gold to infuse the brand with aspirational, premium overtones
The Story
Founded in 2015, St. Botanica has swiftly emerged as a dominant player in the beauty industry, garnering widespread recognition and a lion's share in the market. With a steadfast commitment to delivering scientific, premium offerings, the brand has captured the hearts of discerning consumers seeking innovative and natural formulations that prioritize efficacy above all. Their range of quality-driven products is renowned for using globally sourced exotic ingredients while steadfastly remaining free of harmful substances such as SLS/SLES and parabens.
“We needed to focus on owning the blue colour, incorporating it in both haircare and skincare segments...We decided to convey a specific story: A story of globally-sourced, exotic ingredients that showed expertise and efficacy – while also being naturally derived, which did away with connotations of heavy chemical use. ”
They approached the team at Elephant Design to revamp their packaging design and establish a robust packaging system. Although the brand had gained significant recognition for their focus on scientific, premium offerings in the beauty space, their existing packaging design faced challenges such as inconsistency and a lack of aspirational appeal. Our goal was to modernize the design, create ownable elements, introduce a cohesive system, and tell an ingredient-focused story with premium overtones.
The Circle Game
To get things started, we wanted to create a packaging system that felt modern, premium, and unified the brand across all products. We needed to focus on owning the blue colour, incorporating it in both haircare and skincare segments.
“The central circular element became the core of our packaging design, containing all key information. To add visual interest and dynamism, we introduced perspective and dynamic elements around the circle. Each circle varied in ring colour, representing specific variants and their respective ingredients. ”
Additionally, we aimed to celebrate the ingredients and tie them to the desired benefits sought by consumers. The packs had to appear more premium, and we decided to convey a specific story: A story of globally-sourced, exotic ingredients that showed expertise and efficacy – while also being naturally derived, which did away with connotations of heavy chemical use.
Our team worked on a brand-new, decluttered format that featured a circular enclosure with key information taking centre stage. To enhance the ingredient story, we incorporated realistic illustrations surrounding the circle, using patterns to distinguish between science-focused offerings and naturally alluring ones.
The central circular element became the core of our packaging design, containing all key information. We removed clutter and incorporated a lighter tone of the pack colour to display ingredient information below the circular element. To add visual interest and dynamism, we introduced perspective and dynamic elements around the circle. Each circle varied in ring colour, representing specific variants and their respective ingredients. The circle itself became an ownable enclosure that could be used even without the presence of the logo.
The Power of Consistency
The packaging system added cohesiveness by utilizing a deep-blue colour complemented by gold, infusing the brand with aspirational, premium overtones. Blue is normally an unconventional choice within this category: but in St. Botanica’s case, it became a truly ownable, distinguishing colour while bringing its powerful associations along: trust, honesty and dependability.
“Despite the focus exotic, effective and expertise-driven ingredients, we ensured that the ingredient illustrations maintained their natural, wholesome look-and-feel. We also played on the idea of divas actively looking for newer, more effective exotic ingredients which were already present in St. Botanica’s product range, enhancing their qualities via our illustrative storytelling.”
Here, we focused on creating differentiation between the skincare and haircare ranges while maintaining overall synergy. Golden elements were used for skincare products, while dark blue elements were applied to haircare products. We also ensured that there were colours present in both ranges for better brand recall. To further distinguish between different types of products, we incorporated pattern differences, highlighting natural ingredients for some and scientific formulations for others.
The Exotic Edge
Despite the focus exotic, effective and expertise-driven ingredients, we ensured that the ingredient illustrations maintained their natural, wholesome look-and-feel. We also played on the idea of divas actively looking for newer, more effective exotic ingredients which were already present in St. Botanica’s product range, enhancing their qualities via our illustrative storytelling.
““Design is the application of intent - the opposite of happenstance, and an antidote to accident.””
For ingredients such as Retinol, we incorporated a honeycomb pattern to signify their presence. We also used a colour gradient effect across the range, denoting change, evolution, and the effects on the skin, effectively combining the scientific method with ingredient focus. Through our collaboration with St. Botanica, Elephant Design successfully revamped their packaging design and established a robust packaging system. The new design conveyed a modern and premium feel while unifying the brand across the entire product range. By owning the blue colour and incorporating ownable elements, we helped set St. Botanica apart from competitors. The ingredient-focused story and cohesive system enhanced the brand's recognition and appeal, both domestically and internationally.
