Over the weekend, I spent some time in an Ulta Beauty Shop (Bellevue, Wa) and was taken back aback by the shelf dedicated to Pattern Beauty by Traces Ellis Ross. The rich yellow tones and commitment to visual identity across the variety of products creates a fantastic mood and drew me to take a closer look.

Since I have learned how to design packaging it is important for me to go into stores and look at how packaging effects me when I first see it. I found that places like Sephora, Ulta, Target and Nordstroms are some of my favorite places to visit because of how much effort they put into displays, lighting, planograms, and shelving. Pattern’s beautiful packaging stands out in a beauty shop which is special because beauty packaging is far more advanced than other industries. Brands like Urban Decay, Tarte, Bed Head, Bumble & Bumble, etc all work on fun and illustrative designs. Pattern Beauty stands out with simple 2-color, thick line illustrative style. The single eye suggest a bit of seduction much like a classic Venus and this imagery strongly evokes an age old notion of the mystery of love.

Another clever design technique used here is with the brushes and hair pick. The large image of what is inside allows the packaging to stay in a simple flat box with no viewing window. This straight and simple flat look is also complimented by the yellow side walls which evoke almost a gift package look.

To make the brand even more perfect—- the Pattern website is stunning!!!

The website is complete with fun and lively video of models and a diverse range of skin tones and types. The hair and fashion are —- AWESOME! And the product photography with a yellow reflective surface is next level!

If a design agency or freelance designer is approached with a packaging design then please see pattern as a source of pleasant and bright inspiration.