Making our mark
What we did:
- Brand Strategy
- Creative Strategy
- Naming
- Verbal Identity
- Visual Identity
- Brand Guardianship
- Brand Evolution
The Brief
We’re expanding our successful D2C challenger brand into mainstream retail. But to do that we need to evolve.
The Insight
40% of the western world have tattoos, yet before Stories & Ink, there were no long-term skincare brands dedicated to caring for tattooed skin.
We know tattooed people don’t belong to one specific subculture, they span many. So for a brand to truly resonate with this expanding audience, they need to have a presence across a broader mix of channels.
The idea
Inklusivity for all.
A brand for all skin, all styles and all acts of self-expression.
Back in 2020, our founder Simon started another business, Stories & Ink – a skincare brand that puts tattoo enthusiasts at the heart of everything and gives them a space to share their stories.
Having already built an avid community of fans online, it was now time for Stories & Ink to reach more people through a multitude of new channels. This included expanding into retail, with listings in major stores including Target and Superdrug.
In the digital world, packaging is the final part of the experience. But in retail, it’s not only the first, but often the only way of connecting with a consumer. So instant impact and clarity on-shelf was a must.
The evolved front of pack design makes the USPs and illustrations more prominent, while the product-specific colours aid navigation.
Blending the efficacy of the identity with the personality of tattoo subculture, the flash sheet illustrations on the inside of the packs create an element of surprise.
Using actual imagery of each formulation on pack with annotations of the key ingredients highlights the product’s consistency and benefits for consumers.
“Our experience working with many D2C and retail brands has proven invaluable in building our own. Using the knowledge we’ve gained over the years, we’ve given Stories & Ink a stronger, clearer and more compelling identity that’s fit for future growth.”
Simon
Founder & ECD
Lifestyle photography takes the brand beyond just a product and showcases, not just the tattoos, but the people behind them.
Collaborations with popular tattoo artists help keep the brand relevant and rooted firmly in the community it supports.
“We love the new look! Robot Food’s work keeps the aesthetic of the beautiful brand our customers connected with in the first place, but they manage to convey a lot more information. We’re still bold in our comms, we still tell our brand story and invite people into the experience, but now we also get down into the details that help customers make the right choice.”
Stu Jolley
Co-founder — Stories & Ink
