As part of our independent study, we decided to tackle a problem and develop a solution tailored to the preferences of our male/male-identifying audience, while ensuring our personal care brand remained recognizable in the market.
PRIME
Conducting Market Research in Creating Personal Care for Men
Coursework, 2023
Overview
Problem
The beauty and personal care industry does not cater to men of color, leaving them underrepresented and underserved. As a result, men of color face barriers in finding personal care products that meet their needs. Additionally, men feel uncomfortable discussing their personal care routines and buying personal care products in retail spaces.
Outcome
A collaborative effort on research. I created a brand identity, strategy, packaging for three products, and custom iconography. Masaru, another design student, designed wayfinding and signage for the retail space, utilizing the same color palette and typefaces, and created similar iconography.
Men’s Personal Care Brands
Moodboard — Finding & Insight
We created a moodboard to explore other men’s personal care brands in the market. This served as a guide in our visual design process to ensure our brand is recognizable in the market. Here’s what we gathered from the moodboard.
Design angled and pointy forms for a masculine aesthetic, minimalist design, and high contrast in color values.
Market Research
Competitive Analysis — Findings & Insights
To see what other men’s personal care brands are doing well and poorly, we conducted a competitive analysis of the top four men’s personal care brands. Here are the key findings and insights.
Full Competitive Analysis
“Let my husband try out the product…The scent sure brought me back to high school days and all the boys having AXE spray in their locker”
Offer unscented products since not everyone enjoys scented products.
Native’s strategy of minimalist packaging and transparent ingredient lists.
Determined the visual design direction with minimalistic packaging and transparent ingredient lists.
Harry’s strategy of positioning itself as “the company that’s fixing shaving.”
Incorporate a compelling brand story in our copywriting that seeks to solve our customers’ problems.
Preference of Male/Male Identifying Participants
Customer Research — Findings & Insights
To understand our customers, we conducted a survey, and received responses from 51 male/male-identifying participants. Here are the findings and insights.
Products Participants Used Daily
88.2% Body Wash, 86.3% Deodorant, 68.6% Facial Lotion
Based on the results, we have identified the three products that we need to create.
Key Factors Participants Consider When Evaluating Products
72.5% Brand Reputation, 45.1% Ingredients, 39.2% Fragrance
We decided to highlight these elements on the packaging to better cater to our customers.
How and With Whom Participants Discuss Their Personal Care Routines
80.4% Friends, 76.5% Family, 56.9% Online, 41.2% Health Care Provider
In the retail space, we opt for a person behind the counter of the retail space instead of a kiosk since participants seek something personable based on the results.
Interviews
Customer Interviews — Findings & Insights
To decide on a design direction, we conducted quick customer interviews with two male/male-identifying individuals to ask which designs they preferred.
“I really like the blue and orange colors; they remind me of the red color from Old Spice. I also like the icons because I've never seen them before." — Male/male-identifying Individual
Both individuals favored the bottom-right corner of the rough drafts because of the iconography and vibrant blue-orange colors determining the color palette and iconography to include in the design.
Specifics
Brand Identity and Packaging Details
With all of our insights, I brought it all together in crafting the brand identity and packaging. Take a closer look.
Minimalistic design that prioritizes a Compelling Brand Story, Ingredient List, and Fragrances.
Design angled, pointy forms for a masculine aesthetic and high contrast in color values.
Vibrant Blue and Orange Color Palette with Iconography.
Unscented Products.
Final Design
Final Brand Identity, Packaging, and Retail Space
I’m happy with how this project came out because our solution was driven by the insights from our research and not primarily from the preferences of other designers.
Strategy
PRIME reimagines personal care retail spaces and products to be more inclusive and diverse. PRIME also promotes the idea that personal care is for everyone, especially men of color.
Packaging
Three essential daily-use products: Facial Lotion, Deodorant, and Body Wash, cater to men, especially men of color.
Wayfinding and Signage in the Retail Space
A space for men to feel comfortable purchasing personal care products that meet their needs and discuss their personal care routines.
What I Learned
Reflecting on the Project Outcomes
Through research, I developed a personal care brand specifically tailored to male and male-identifying individuals. Unlike my previous design projects, which were primarily influenced by individuals with a design background, this design solution was guided by a deep understanding of the people I aimed to serve.
01
Research provides an unbiased view of preferences, even if designers think they've found the best solution.
02
Projects should address real-world issues rather than being solely profit-driven, as is often seen in many branding projects.
