In August 2018, skincare start-up Optiat’s founders, siblings William and Anna Brightman, appeared on the BBC program Dragons’ Den, where they were offered funding if they could improve the branding and packaging for their products, which were seen as inconsistent and confusing. So Optiat began a rebranding project with their creative partners, London UK-based brand agency Studio More. Nikita Yan, Managing Partner at Studio More says: “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.” Since the brand’s original name is an acronym for ‘one person’s trash is another’s treasure,’ the design team, in collaboration with brand writing agency Reed Words, considered the company’s focus on sustainability and promoting a circular economy before settling on the new name: UpCircle.
Studio More worked as brand guardian throughout the project, creating everything from the visual identity, to packaging, to digital, to ensure consistency on-and-offline. Yan says: “The core idea behind our design is to transform the tagline ‘All round better skincare’ and circular economy into the visual identity, creating a unified and consistent brand message.”