Guilty Pleasures Brief - "Crop"
BRIEF:
BRIEF:
To develop a project based around the idea of "guilty pleasures". brand, identity
The brief challenged you to explore a guilty pleasure as a starting point.
Construct a brand company, create a name and consider a product range.
Construct a brand company, create a name and consider a product range.
CONCEPT:
I chose to focus on embarassing bodily hair, primarily the removal of this hair in men.
Although male grooming is becoming more widely accepted, it is still often believed to be feminine and vain.
I intended to create a product that would remove the stigma attached.
This led me to research hair removal products, whereby I noted that there seemed to be an absence of male-oriented waxing/grooming kits, the majority visually catering to females - pink, glitter and so on.
I aimed to create a home waxing kit for men that was both fun and humorous - self mocking to give a less serious, gimmicky tone.
I decided to crudely "disguise" the product in the image of gardening (humourous, masculine, acceptable), a visual containing plenty of scope for innuendos that would allow me to tie the two together.
The ploy was to be tongue-in-cheek whilst obviously mocking male stereotypes in a loud-and-proud manner.
SOLUTION:
Although male grooming is becoming more widely accepted, it is still often believed to be feminine and vain.
I intended to create a product that would remove the stigma attached.
This led me to research hair removal products, whereby I noted that there seemed to be an absence of male-oriented waxing/grooming kits, the majority visually catering to females - pink, glitter and so on.
I aimed to create a home waxing kit for men that was both fun and humorous - self mocking to give a less serious, gimmicky tone.
I decided to crudely "disguise" the product in the image of gardening (humourous, masculine, acceptable), a visual containing plenty of scope for innuendos that would allow me to tie the two together.
The ploy was to be tongue-in-cheek whilst obviously mocking male stereotypes in a loud-and-proud manner.
SOLUTION:
I named my brand "Crop" for its dual meaning - associations with both plants and gardening and the act of cutting/removing.
I kept the visual style simple and clean to provide/give a youthful feel and due to the marque interacting within the concept.
The marque appears "cropped" down its centre in various ways, such as along folds, perforation lines, flaps and edges of labels. This reinforces the idea of unruly hair being "cropped" into a neat line, whilst evoking a playful, informal tone that echoes the brand's personality and enhances its appeal.
The product is designed to be something so exaggerated that it becomes desirable; almost novelty.
The packaging borrows from the visual language of gardening - wax is contained in a tub resembling a plant pot, whilst wax applicator sticks look like seed labels used in potted plants.
The typography is clean and youthful to suit the demographic (predominantly young males), and as to not detract from the innuendos. These relate to both the packaging and the product, for example colloquial "Trimming gone to pot?"
These ideas are continued across other areas of the packaging such as the box. Below, the word "trimming" has been literally trimmed to reinforce the interaction of the brand, allowing the top half of type to reform a second message inside. The side of the box exterior features unruly grass (lawn), which is then "cropped" to form a neat line when the box is opened. The interior pattern depicts grass clippings to imply that hair has been removed in a fun way.
Similarly, the ingrown hair prevention spray is contained within a fertiliser-shaped bottle, playing on the function of the product and its duality.
The marque has been "cropped" across the curve of the bottle and again across the perforation line of the box.
Again, the side of the box exterior features an illustration of unruly leaves (bush), which are then cropped into a neat edge by the perforation when opened.
The interior contains single leaves to represent hair removal and give a sense of playful interaction.
For the wax applicator sticks, I produced a box in the image of a leather toolkit, the sticks essentially being the "tools" for hair removal.
The box wraps around allowing the marque to be "cropped" at its reverse by the flap, whilst providing space inside for the innuendo, giving a sense of urgency whilst playing on the confident persona of the brand, encouraging and challenging the consumer.
The pocket inside features vector drawings of different tools, appealing to men and gardening.
The applicator sticks are displayed in a way that they form the handles of the tools.
The text features encouraging, humourous "banter" based of the product, which appeals to the demographic on their own level.
Below are a few more examples of the marque being "cropped" alongside edges of labels and curves.
Additional details include unexpected grass trimmings on the underside of the wax pot. This continues the brand's playful persona and attention to detail makes the product feel exciting and special.
I also created stickers as a fun way to mock the childlike need for an incentive to use the product, and a sign in the shape of a seed label for Point of Sale in store.
