Sergeant Walnuts has completed the development of a new brand identity for ‘mixed to measure’ beauty brand DCYPHER.
DCYPHER enables people to build a totally bespoke foundation formula that matches their skin tone, using what it claims is unique technology.
The shelves may be lined with thousands of bottles, says DCYPHER, but the best solution on offer is usually a shade match that only comes close, making its offer a powerful one.
DCYPHER starts each formula from scratch, beginning with camera technology that scans your skin, meaning every foundation that leaves the lab is completely unique and personalised. It then uses its patent-pending blending machines to make every item of makeup to order to fit your exact ‘beauty code.’ This ‘beauty code’ is what inspired Sergeant Walnuts when developing the new brand identity.
“We were determined not to ‘dumb down’ the use of technology at the heart of DCYPHER’s offering,” explained Richard Attwater, MD of Sergeant Walnuts. “Many beauty brands assume that consumers are either unable, or unwilling, to digest complex information, and instead opt to go down well-trodden and often clichéd paths in terms of their brand identities and communications. We knew we were talking to an intelligent and curious consumer who’d see the technology for what it is – a genuine and valuable point of difference”.
Gary Toal, creative director, added: “The idea of a beauty code very much inspired our thinking and design language. From Alan Turing’s Enigma Machine to Samuel Morse’s dots and dashes, the visual world of codes, cryptograms and ciphers is incredibly rich and interesting. So, we chose to amplify it as a visual language – celebrating the technical processes that help to put perfection in the palms of those who use DCYPHER.”
Sergeant Walnuts worked closely with the founders of DCYPHER throughout the project, helping to bring their new brand to life.
“We were keen to create a brand identify that reflected our unique technological process, our premium products, and which also felt at home in the desirable world of modern beauty brands,” said Dr Claire Triantis, co-founder of DCYPHER. “Sergeant Walnuts were able to bring it to life in a way that gives us a distinctive and flexible system to use across all of our consumer touchpoints – we’re really delighted with the end result and can’t wait to see it rolled out over the coming months.”
As part of the new brand identity project, Sergeant Walnuts also developed new bottle packaging for both the custom foundation and coverage drops, a bespoke D2C mailing box, a design system for all consumer comms and full brand guidelines.
