Branding Breakdown #001 : Sephora Holiday Look
Intro (What this Series is About)
To me, branding is fascinating. It is so much more than just logo design. What really interests me is branding as a system; how a brand can be adapted to other applications and mediums, from stationery and basic corporate identity material, to packaging and products, to web and digital form, to signage and environments, to motion graphics, and everything in between.
Another fascinating thing to look at is how brands can evolve and grow over time; with each new year or campaign, how can the brand be represented in a new way that keeps things fresh while remaining true to the brand essence?
Say “Hi” to Branding Breakdowns, a series where I will analyze brand identities, deconstructing them and speculating on how they came to be and attempting to interpret the design thinking behind them. (Disclaimer: hey guys these are just my thoughts and interpretations. Cool? Cool.)
Branding Breakdown #001
Changing with the Seasons—Sephora Holiday Look (2014)
Retail companies face the challenge of having to switch up their look from season to season to keep things fresh. Online and in print you may see new marketing materials done in a new theme. In retail stores, you may see new window displays, signs, and setup—with the same theme carried throughout. This perpetual changeup is probably taken for granted by most people, but I like to take notice of these changes and keep an eye out for interesting applications.
The One that Really Caught My Eye
A few years ago during the holidays, amidst all the hustle and bustle of the crowds, there was one store in particular who’s new seasonal look made me stop and stare. And that was Sephora. I was in the store, picking up some staple goods when I looked up and noticed this amazing custom typography. It was blend of illustration and typography that was whimsical and daring, but still pleasingly legible. It was perfect for the season — a bright, lighthearted, festive feeling. It also exuded generous amounts of energy and girliness—seems appropriate for Sephora. Best of all, I think it still tied in really well with Sephora’s brand.
The Basic Branding
If you’re not familiar with Sephora’s branding, here it is:
Sephora’s mark is a simple sleek curve, or you could say, letter “S”. The mark is paired with a geometric sans serif, set in all caps and tracked out.
The color palette: black and white, often used in a stripe pattern. Finally red comes in as an accent color. You can see this being applied in the shopping bags, which have black and white stripes on the sides and bold red tissue peeking out.
Here is some of that branding applied:
The Custom Typography
As mentioned, the custom type is what drew me in in the first place. It just has this controlled craziness to it that says fun and sassy. It’s on the verge of going over the top, but I like it. Not sure if this is where the designer started, but the custom type seems to set the stage for the rest of the holiday branding.
The custom type is done in a geometric san serif typeface — which works with the logo.
Warning: I’m about to get type-nerdy. I think this is a different font from the logotype, though. This typeface seems to have more consistency in character widths, and its geometry is much more sturdy and symmetrical. For example, the bar of the “E” in the custom typeface is more centered and it extends almost as long as the top and bottom bars. In contrast, the “E” in Sephora has a slightly higher middle arm which is shorter than the top and bottom ones.
Any-who, the type choice and the thicker weight creates a good solid canvas for bringing in the illustrations.
The type incorporates illustrative elements in a very loud, bold manner, but it somehow just works. The designer managed to cleverly work in makeup and beauty products into the letterforms. And in spite of the geometric-ness of the font, the illustrations manage to make the type feel quite friendly and and fun.
Lastly, there are some abstractions in shapes of letterforms here and there, but not ever to the point that they are awkward, or ruin the legibility of the character. For example:
- The “?” has a dollop of makeup to replace the point at the bottom.
- In the “T”, where eyebrow shape has replaced the top bar.
- The “G”, where the arm of the letter is repaced by a pump for dispensing lotion
- In some letters, the shapes are filled in, like the “A” as a perfume bottle. or an “O” done as an ornament.
- When a makeup product is thin or oddly shaped, the letter shape still sits behind it, working to keep things legible (for example, the “F” with a comb, and the “Y” with an eyelash curler.)
- And that “D” compact is just wonderful. While heavily illustrated, it still reads instantly as a “D”.
The Extended Color Palette
In the holiday theme, we see the addition of a hot-pink-ish-red color, plus a lighter shade of pink. These color choices help give the original palette some legs — they add a sense of vibrance and energy, and provide plenty of room for variation, as you can see in the custom typography. The color palette works well for the illustrations of beauty products, since we commonly see a lot of packaging in black or white, and makeup tones in the reds and pinks. The light pink also conveniently works for (kind of abstractly) representing flesh. (Some illustrations have hands).
Various combinations of stripes and color are used to compose the illustrations. In some characters like “L” and “?”, you can even spot a stripe pattern that has a curve to it, as if it was inspired by the Sephora “S” mark.
Iconography
The same motifs in the custom typography are found in the iconography. Some of the letters work multi-purpose as icons, too, like some of the “O”s.
Packaging
The custom type is used as a pattern on gift wrap, boxes, and bags, and spells out “OOOH, AHHH” (see below). Pops of solid red tissue are a nice contrast to the busy illustrations on a white background. Striped bows, based on the illustrations, adorn the gift boxes.
In the photo below, turquoise and purple ornaments appear too. I think it’s a nod to the holiday branding color palette from the year before.
“Gift oooh, gift ahhh, gift Sephora.”
Photography
The photography continues that same fun, bright spirit, with ridiculously huge red bows and boldly striped dresses. The models are surrounded by piles of gifts and makeup.
In Conclusion
It is quite a challenge to apply brands in new ways. Overall, I think that it was quite successful, because they achieved a fresh new look that ties in very well with the holidays, yet it is still spot-on for the brand. Great job, Sephora!
