Context.
Olivia Day

Initial Reaction
In terms of my initial thoughts regarding my FMP, I am leaning towards creating a makeup
brand and the media components that surround it. For example I will be creating
‘summery’, feminine products with a consistent minimalistic aesthetic and will therefore
curate an advert for a product, along with the social media marketing and the website for
the brand.
Last year, I created a perfume brand a video advert for the product. I believe that in terms
of designing the perfume product and maintaining a consistent aesthetic of ‘feminine and
floral’, I was successful. However, I am now aware that in order to achieve a higher grade,
I must think about many more advertising techniques that go into building a brand, and
overall, an empire.
After looking at past FMP results from previous students, I know that in order to succeed
in creating a convincing and interesting product, I must do heavy research in order to
influence the outcome of my product and not miss out on any key elements.

Makeup Brand
Website
Advert
Social Media
Account/s
Products
Light colours
Simple layout
Catchy phrases
Summer vibe
Accessible reviews
Pages for each genre
– face, lips, skin
Links to social
media
Minimalistic – white
font
Concealer, Foundation,
Lip gloss, Bronzer,
Eyebrow gel, Lip liner,
Eye shimmer, Highlighter
Maintain a ‘dewy’,
‘summery’
aesthetic.
Product names
that stand out
e.g. Solar Paint
– Liquid
Highlight
More personal so that buyers feel
like they can interact with the
supplier.
Upkeep the aesthetic of feminine,
bubbly, summery etc.
Behind the scenes content of
photoshoots, adverts etc.
‘Tease’ upcoming
products.
Summery,
holiday setting
Group of girls
Close up shots
Emphasising
the glowy
natural summer
look

Website - Mood Board

Products - Mood Board

Advert - Mood Board

Mood Board Analysis
Each mood board consists of a similar colour palette and tone. I am attempting to
emulate the femininity of my product however I will also intend to leave space to allow
gender-neutral customers to feel intrigued by my product. The mood which I am allowing
my products to radiate is wholesome and warm since the brand will be preparing for a
summer launch whilst retaining a grungy, retro vibe. I have ensured that my mood boards
show that the makeup products will be glowy and light, in comparison to some other
brands which market their products as being “heavy duty” and “matte”. The aesthetic of
my brand will be minimalistic and each element of production that goes into marketing
my products will follow the same minimalistic aesthetic so that my brand will somewhat
have a ‘trademark’ and so I will not confuse my audience.
The Advert Mood Board, for example, shows a selection of shots which have pink and red
tones. This is because I plan on creating an advertisement for a valentines day makeup
set and pink and red are often associated with love and valentines day.

Influence/Inspiration
Glossier – Website
Glossier, a makeup and skincare brand founded by 37-year-old, Emily Weiss, has
been hugely successful over the past years as the trend to look “minimal” and
“fresh” has come to be. Taking a look at the website of the brand has given me an
insight into how the brand chooses to present its products to its audience since
online is how glossier make most of their sales. Launched in 2014 with only four
products, the makeup brand now boasts over 42 products with the addition of the
selection of brand merchandise too. The website appears quite modern and clean
in a sense. This is because of the recurring light tones and simple fonts. I found
the website very easy to navigate as there are not too many distracting features
on the pages and the products are displayed in a neat and orderly manner. I like
how the home page displays the brand’s latest released product with large images
and the emphasis of the exclamation point in order to sound eager and exciting.
When I click on a product, I am welcomed with images such as a close-up of the
product and how the product looks on different skin tones. I believe that having a
variety of models of different skin tones is great in terms of widening an audience
of many ethnicities as it allows customers to feel informed on how the product
would look on themselves. In addition to this, the page has information on the
product in a clear and obvious text which informs the customers on the formula of
the product and ways in which the product can be used. For example, each
product has a ‘Good to know’ section which states its traits – the ‘Balm Dotcom’
product states that it is “Conditioning, Cruelty-Free, Moisturising, Soothing, and
Vegan’. When I scroll down on this page, I am introduced to a variety of reviews
made by previous buyers from all over the world of the product which informs me
further on how the product acts on people with different skin types, skin tones and
ages.

Influence/Inspiration
Rhode Skin - Website
Rhode, a skincare brand founded by model Hailey Bieber has risen to success
quickly. The website for the brand is immediately aesthetically pleasing to the eye
as I am welcomed with a black and white retro-style video of Bieber herself. As
she is the face of the brand, I see this feature as fitting. The brand only has five
products for sale as of now, however, this has not stopped the website from
appearing as a company which is stacked with products would, in the sense that
each page is stacked with information. For example, when I click on a product,
that page has 11 sections which has exciting information on that product such as
its ingredients, application instructions, product sustainability, and customer
reviews. Furthermore, there are two pages, accessible by the navigation bar,
named ‘About’ and ‘Futures’ which give the customers a chunk of information on
the brand and its ‘philosophy’. The ‘About’ page mentions its values and intentions
of the brand, and additionally, the cosmetologists and dermatologists which were
a huge part of conducting research in order for the products to work efficiently for
the customers. The ‘Futures’ page, is incredibly interesting as it reveals that Hailey
Bieber has founded a ‘Rhode Futures Foundation’ which invests in supporting
1000 women and their families and Rhode has committed a minimum of 1% of
sales to support the women they serve.
There are many elements of digital design on this website which I like a lot and
plan to applying to my own. For example, when I hover my mouse over a product,
it shows the effects it has on the skin. As my brand is going to consist of makeup
products, the aftermath of applying the products will appear more evident as a
skincare brand like Rhodes does because my products are not translucent/the skin
doesn’t absorb it. I believe that the photography of the models on the Rhodes
website is done really well. The simple, detailed, closeup shots are great when
displaying how the products appear on the skin.

Influence/Inspiration
Glossier – Products
The Glossier products are targeted at a young, millennial audience that are
appreciative of simple and minimal style. Its products are created to provide minimal
coverage for a fresh and youthful look, and its packaging manages to convey that
message. Although each product is packaged differently, Glossier maintains its
minimal aesthetic across its packaging. The balms are packaged in tubes, while the
cleanser is in a plastic bottle, and the skin tints are in translucent bottles. Apart from
the ‘G’ Glossier logo and basic information about the product, Glossier has kept its
packaging text light. It’s not chaotic and doesn’t take away from the design
experience, and still manages to provide necessary information about the products.
The names of the products are also engaging and fun: ’Balm Dotcom’, ‘Cloud Paint’,
and ‘Milky Jelly Cleanser’ are catchy names that are also easy to remember, adding a
very unique element to the packaging design.
I like how the ‘Cloud Paint’ cream blush is artistically packaged in a tin-like tube,
similar to how professional paints are. However, Glossier products are much more
minimalistic and feminine as it upkeeps the aesthetic of the brand in their packaging.
I plan to follow a similar design approach that Glossier
has led with as my products will be very lightweight
and brightening, much like Glossier is. However, I will
alter my designs so that my brand has a personal
‘trademark’ colour. For example, many of Glossier’s
products have pale pink incorporated into the
packaging, whereas, since my brand will be preparing
for a summer release, my products will have a more
summery tone such as peach or yellow.

Influence/Inspiration
Charlotte Tilbury – Campaign Video
Entrepreneur and famous make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury decided to celebrate her
Pillow Talk makeup collection, through the latest advert CT released. The video boasts
the products’ ability to define a rosy glow for its customers of every complexion, age
and gender. The Pillow Talk collection consists of Multi-Glow Highlighter, Push Up
Lashes! Mascara, Beautifying Glow Cheek and Eye Kit and, finally, Luxury Eyeshadow
Palette. Charlotte Tilbury has created a ‘slumber party’ themed campaign where
everything from the music (Yes Sir, I Can Boogie) to the boudoir set with velvet
furniture, sequins and disco ball on the ceiling, recreates the atmosphere of a retro
and ultra-glam party.
The campaign ad is shot with short, snappy shots of close-ups of the models’ faces
along with a sparkle where the light catches the shine of the lip gloss or glittery
eyeshadow. Throughout the video, there is a soft pink haze overlay which I believe
elevates the feminine, flirty aesthetic of the sequence. The slogan “Everyone’s perfect
shade” creates a sense of inclusivity as it widens Charlotte Tilbury’s target audience
to everyone, this is something that I plan to incorporate into my own campaign ad as
I intend my brand to be accessible to everyone. The Pillow Talk Party video emulates
a sense of friendship and innocent fun whilst also managing to have undertones of
sultriness from the poses and outfits of the models.
Charlotte Tilbury started out as a celebrity makeup artist and has since founded her
own, incredibly successful, makeup brand in 2013. Her now award-winning products
have been sold in luxury department stores such as Selfridges, Harrods, and Harvey
Nichols. Charlotte believes that everyone deserves to look and feel like the most
beautiful version of themselves every day through the power of makeup. Today,
Charlotte is one of the UK’s most famous makeup industry exports and continues to
push boundaries with her award-winning, record-breaking makeup and skincare
company.

Influence/Inspiration
Kylie Cosmetics – Social media account (Instagram)
Kylie Jenner is an internet sensation. With 379 million Instagram followers on her
personal account, her internet fame worked wonders when it came to releasing her own
cosmetics line. She started with the release of the ‘Kylie Jenner Lip Kits’ in 2015 and
used her Instagram and Snapchat accounts to promote the launch. Along with this, the
Lip Kits were sent to other celebrities as PR packages which were then also posted
amongst their social media accounts. 18 months after the first initial launch, Kylie
Cosmetics claimed to have brought in $400 million. Since then, the brand has become
much more than just a Lip Kit brand and has expanded to create a full face of the
makeup line, skincare line and even baby care.
@KylieCosmetics on Instagram has reached 25.8 million followers and is regularly
keeping the followers updated with new content of product releases and customer
impressions. Like most cosmetics brands’ social media pages, their content consists of
videos of customers and PR package receivers trying on their products. I like this aspect
as it takes away the aspect of professional lighting and airbrushed images which creates
a more authentic and personal aspect to the brand. In addition to this, the Kylie
Cosmetics Instagram page also features images of Kylie Jenner herself wearing the
makeup products that are advertised on the page. As she is the face of the brand and
most of the customers are fans of Kylie herself, seeing Kylie wear the makeup and
knowing that she owns the products for herself may motivate people to make a
purchase for themselves so that they have something that they can relate to Kylie with
the aesthetics of the Instagram page is professional with hints of authenticity due to the
customer’s photographs and dark, vintage-style photography. Due to the time of year, it
is apparent that the release of certain collections is seasonal. For example, during the
summertime, the page shows more sunny images with light and glossy makeup looks.
Whereas in the winter season, more rouge and darker tones are being advertised to the
brand’s audience.

Why are you making this project?
I have decided to create a makeup brand as my FMP because I know the area of design
quite well. As a frequent user of social media, I am constantly being influenced to
purchase new makeup products and therefore I know that there is a strong market
through social media marketing to branch out to access new customers. Last year for my
FMP, I created a short campaign video for a perfume product along with a poster
advertisement. I am now aware that there were many sectors to the design that lacked
and I could have improved in order to reach better grades. For example, instead of just
creating one product, I could have branched out and created a multitude of products to
set the tone for my brand and it would’ve given me more opportunities to design and
improve my photoshop skills. Therefore, this year I am giving myself a better opportunity
to test my knowledge on what I have learnt during my time on this course as I am going
to be venturing into web design (Wix), product design (Photoshop), video campaign
(PremierPro), and social media marketing (Instagram and TikTok). This allows me to
touch bases with many career options in media whilst creating a selection of many
products that I hold an interest in.

Strengths and Limitations
When it comes to my strengths which will prepare me well for my FMP, I would say that I
have art and creative attributes which allow me to have an artistic eye when it comes to
designing concepts for my work. This has allowed me to have a good perspective when I
explore my photography skills. Photography has always been a small hobby of mine
which I enjoy and over the years, I have realised that this hobby has been useful during
college and when I shoot images and videos for my projects.
A weakness of mine is my lack of information on editing techniques in applications such
as Photoshop and PremierPro which result in my work appearing professional. This is
because, in previous projects, such as magazines, fanzines and music videos, I have not
necessarily required intense and visually pleasing effects. In order to pick up this skill in
editing, I will need to research YouTube tutorial videos which give out editing techniques
that are used in professional media fields so that I can produce the best work I possibly
can. Another weakness of mine is time management. During my time at college, there
have been many cases where I have handed my work in last minute or even past the
deadline. This has been due to commitments I have in my own time which result in a lack
of time to continue working from home. I have also noticed that I work at a pretty low
speed, this may be due to my habit of procrastinating. To fix this problem, I will ensure
that I have a clear schedule which presents me with enough time to catch up with work
that I did not cover in college so that I can meet the deadlines and stay on track.

Potential Research Activities
In order to research efficiently for my Final Major Project, I will be producing a research
PowerPoint where I will be able to track my research and easily find the information that I
have researched throughout the production process that I will find useful. I plan to
conduct a survey base on the makeup industry, which I will share online so that I can get
opinions and insights on what people may still be searching for in a makeup product. This
is because I want to create products which fulfil the needs of my audience so that they
will be satisfied with them. In addition to this, I will conduct ‘secondary audience research’
which will consist mainly of statistics and graphs of existing makeup companies and how
they market their brand to their audience. This is so that I can then go on to decide which
brands I believe have the most success and also has a similar aesthetic to the brand I
plan to produce and then research them individually in more detail. Following the market
research, I will then follow up with ‘market research’ where I will research individual
brands and the many conventions which make that brand itself. As I am creating makeup
product designs, a website, social media account/s and a tv advert, there is a lot I need to
take into account so researching popular brands/products will allow me to grasp an idea
of what is currently trending in the makeup industry.

Bibliography
Glossier (2017). Glossier | Skincare & Beauty Products Inspired by Real Life.
[online] Glossier.com. Available at: https://www.glossier.com/.
Rhode. (n.d.). rhode skin by Hailey Rhode Bieber. [online] Available at:
https://www.rhodeskin.com/.
Rogers, C. (2018). Why beauty brand Glossier is ripping up the marketing
playbook. [online] Marketing Week. Available at:
https://www.marketingweek.com/glossier-ripping-up-marketing-playbook/.
Talon, K. (2022). Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Party in the Metaverse. [online]
nss magazine. Available at:
https://www.nssgclub.com/en/beauty/29607/charlotte-tilbury-pillow-talk-party-
metaverse [Accessed 24 Feb. 2023].
www.youtube.com. (2022). NEW! Pillow Talk Party: Pillow Talk Makeup Secrets
in Everyone’s Perfect Shade! | Charlotte Tilbury. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzFFXbhnc_I [Accessed 30 Dec. 2022].