Giving a teledermatology startup a fresh face
With a retail launch on the horizon, Curology needed to shift from a functional DTC acne product to a beloved mass skincare brand that could go toe-to-toe with the CPG giants.
After developing a design system alongside Gretel, our internal team of 6 overhauled the brand identity from top to bottom (along with some incredible freelance support), including expanding the strategy, refreshing the art direction, and outlining a tone of voice to be implemented everywhere from social and web to in-store.
Visual Identity
While Curology’s primary target is Gen Z, we didn’t want to veer into the trend-driven ‘adorkable’ space or the bland DTC world occupied by competitors going after the same audience.
As a brand founded by a dermatologist and powered by 100+ providers offering individual support to patients, we needed our dermatological DNA and real-human support to come through loud and clear. To balance the cool with the credible.
This ultimately led to our core guiding principle of “Warm Science,” which informs two key design elements: the Signature Squeeze and Precise Modularity. This philosophy creates a direct and energetic visual language that balances the approachable with the scientific in a way that draws people in.
Verbal Identity, Product Naming & Packaging
After working with our CMO and marketing stakeholders to establish a persona, the creative director and I constructed Curology’s verbal identity.
Together, we worked with our internal product marketing team to revisit packaging copy, product names, and SOIs to improve consistency and refresh the tone of voice. This also included overhauling the subscription boxes and inserts.
I then led the charge of overhauling every key copy doc in the product portfolio, to ensure distinct positioning, messaging consistency, and tonal accuracy.
Digital & Social
The refresh coincided almost perfectly with the launch of Curology at Target—enabling us to announce one major move for the brand and educate on our expanded product line, with an entirely new look.
Team
Agency (partner): Gretel
Type Foundry: Dinamo
Creative Director: Martin Sanchez
Senior Art Director: Nas Chubinsky
Design Directors: Malisa Kuch, Christina Chern
Designers: Donnah Perez, Diana Mora, Christine Shen