DOSE SKINCARE     VISUAL IDENTITY & PACKAGING DESIGN

Less than 7% of shelf space in the beauty industry belongs to Black owned brands, according to McKinsey. Dr. Danielle O'Neal set out to shrink that gap. After two years perfecting the Original Healing Gel, a hyaluronic acid treatment made for melanin rich, sensitive skin, she had a formula that worked. What she didn't have yet was a brand that looked like it belonged on that shelf.

That's the challenge I stepped into: build a visual identity credible enough to stand next to the science, warm enough to stay true to the natural, whole ingredient product underneath it. DOSE wasn't just launching a moisturizer. It was staking a claim in a market that rarely makes room for it.

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Before sketching a single concept, I studied the shelf itself, walking Ulta, Target, and Walmart to understand what DOSE needed to hold its own against. From there, DOSE's identity moved through four phases of concepting, each one dialing the doctor versus nature tension up in a different direction. Dr. Danielle chose Hydration: a clean, modern mark with a water droplet built into the negative space of the D, carrying the line "Hydration Without Limits."

Dr. Danielle rated the finished identity a perfect 10 out of 10, calling it "not only a logo, but an entire style portfolio as a foundation for our visual identity." She's since brought me back to redesign labels across DOSE's entire product line, and to help shape how it's organized, including naming the collection the Hydration System so customers instantly know these products are built to work together. More to come as the brand builds toward shelf. 

You can follow along at @elexia96 or elexiajohnson.com.