Humblebee Beauty & Skin

Humblebee Beauty & Skin is my personal handmade skin care line, and designing the branding and website has been one of my most challenging and enjoyable projects to date.

Acting as both the client and the designer is hard—it turns out I’m a very demanding client! I knew I wanted to base the logo off of an ampersand, a symbol that really resonates with me and forms the basis of my personal brand. I modified an old-style ampersand to look a like a stylized “B” flying up and away. Having a strong visual symbol as the basis of the brand gives me room to expand to items like soap stamps, wax seals, and stickers as the brand grows.

For packaging I was drawn to materials that allowed the beauty of the products to shine through. I began with architectural vellum to create belly bands for the soap and shampoo bars that left the colours and designs of each bar visible. For balms, salves, and cosmetics I selected hefty frosted glass with brushed aluminum lids and transparent labels to create a high-end feel that allows the colour of the final products to glow through.

The finished branding is crisp and clean, using classic serif typefaces and relatively little colour to allow the products themselves to stand out. Royal purple features as a highlight colour in shipping packaging and business cards.