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Words matter, as do visuals, in packaging design

A sustainable skincare startup from the U.K. enlists a wordsmith and a brand design studio to improve the branding and packaging of its products.

The result of the rebrand is a consistent look and feel that unifies the company’s products.
The result of the rebrand is a consistent look and feel that unifies the company’s products.

In August 2018, siblings William and Anna Brightman, founders of sustainable skincare startup Optiat, appeared on the BBC program Dragons’ Den (the U.K. version of Shark Tank), where two dragons offered them funding of £50,000 (US$63,000) for 30% of the business. But the Dragons had one condition: The founders had to improve the branding and packaging of their products, which were seen as inconsistent and confusing.

Optiat had already identified this point, and a rebranding project was underway with their creative partner Studio More. Says Nikita Yan, Managing Partner at the agency, “Our analysis suggested that the brand needed to focus on its positive impact in the world, standing for something bigger to fulfill its growth potential.”

Studio More’s strategy provided the perfect platform and category insight for writing agency Reed Words to build the tone of voice and the new name. The brand’s original name, Optiat, is an acronym for “one person’s trash is another’s treasure,” but as Orlaith Wood of Reed Words explains, it just wasn’t working. “It’s an interesting name but only once you’ve learned what it means,” she says. “It needs explaining, which makes it too forgettable to anyone who doesn’t understand it.”

To find the new name, the Reed Words team worked with Optiat’s founders, carefully considering the brand’s focus on sustainability and promoting a circular economy before settling on the new name. Says Wood, “The word UpCircle captured the idea of positively reusing old things, with the ‘up’ element suggesting an elevated, uplifting purpose.”

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