H by Barneys New York

Design: Hyek Im
Project Type: Student Project
Packaging Content: Skin care
Location: CA, USA

I was assigned to pick a brand to make hypothetical package designs for a line of products in a class at Art Center College of Design. After doing the market research and consumer interviews, I found a viable initiative for a department store brand to make premium male skin care products. Male skin care industry is still at its infancy and one of the research showed that online boutique stores were recording rising sales of premium male skin care products.

H is a hypothetical skin care product line by Barneys New York. The concept was inspired by ocean and water. The letter represents the concept of relating to water.

I wanted Barneys New York to help save the ocean while elevating itself as a benefit corporation at the same time to claim the notion that luxury can be both desirable and good. The strategy of this project was to endorse a compassionate celebrity to promote these products. Alexander Wang was chosen due to his background of engaging in several charities in the past along with other cultural qualities such as his social media presence, current media image, and physical characteristics that reject trend-driven and idealized male imagery. I believed that he was the perfect candidate to utilize these products as a vehicle to encourage the audience to participate in raising funds that could be used toward relieving ocean pollution while providing a unique male image for contemporary male audience to consume.