THE CHALLENGE
Feel-Good Soap had solid product and growing farmers market following, but no clear brand tying it together. Didn’t need trendy. Needed real. Brand reflecting what they stood for: simple ingredients, small batches, straightforward values, while standing out in crowded skincare space full of jargon and overdesigned packaging. Feel-Good wasn’t just selling soap. They were selling intention and everyday care without performance claims or wellness theater.
THE SOLUTION
Built ingredient-first, quality-focused brand with captivating energy. Warm, cheeky, handmade, unmistakably real. Started with voice: direct, friendly, easy to understand. Built packaging putting ingredients front and center. Color-coded. Easy to scan. Nothing extra. Pulled from nostalgic packaging, daily rituals, warm natural photography. From typography to merch to event setups, every piece made to feel approachable, confident, clear without clinical coldness or trendy wellness clichés.
MY ROLE
Led complete brand development as Creative Director, building identity system rooted in honesty and minimalism.
✔ Developed full brand identity system: smiley-face-in-clouds logomark, “Stay Real” tagline, 6-color palette (terracotta, sage, navy, burgundy, purple, yellow), typography system using Mudstone Sans Black for headlines and Chivo for body copy
✔ Created three brand pillars establishing positioning: Ingredient-First (lead with what matters), Small Batches Big Intention (focused process perfecting what’s inside), Minimal Design Maximum Trust (packaging designed for truth not dress-up, nothing louder than clarity)
✔ Designed complete packaging architecture: color-coded scent system (blue=unscented, green=eucalyptus+lemongrass, brown=oatmeal+almond, red=geranium+cardamom, purple=lavender+bergamot), front-facing ingredient lists, minimal box design with band differentiation
✔ Established photography direction balancing everyday joy with purposeful storytelling: warm natural light, diverse hands/faces in soap bubbles, genuine moments over staged perfection
✔ Created marketing materials, merch (t-shirts, tote bags, stickers), event tent design, digital assets working across farmers markets, retail partnerships, e-commerce
✔ Wrote brand copy using conversational framing and pattern recognition making tone casual but consistent: “Only real ingredients,” “Lather up,” “Stay real,” “Made with love”
THE IMPACT
Market Expansion: Rebrand gave Feel-Good Soap credibility and shelf presence needed to expand beyond farmers markets. Customers immediately understood what they were buying and why it mattered, building trust fast leading to repeat purchases and word-of-mouth growth.
Purchase Decision Clarity: Ingredient-first packaging made decision-making easier. Color-coded scent system allowed customers to find their preference quickly. Front-facing ingredient lists removed guesswork, reducing purchase hesitation.
Scalable System: Brand system scaled as Feel-Good moved into retail partnerships and online sales, maintaining handmade, trustworthy feel even as distribution grew. Went from solid product with no clear identity to recognizable wellness brand people seek out because it feels honest, approachable, real.
