A Postcard from a life less cluttered

A Postcard from a life less cluttered: Robot Food rebrand Singaporean self-care supplies

September 2024

Robot Food has partnered with Postcard, a sustainable self-care brand based in Singapore, to revitalise its visual and verbal identity, including a new brand strategy, tone of voice, naming, brand world, packaging and website design.

A Postcard from a life less cluttered

Formerly known as Oasis Beauty Kitchen, Postcard sought to expand beyond Singapore, and needed a brand that would resonate with consumers on a global scale. Initially, both Postcard and Robot Food planned to keep the name ‘Oasis’, as it evoked a sense of creativity and serenity. However, due to trademarking challenges, the new name ‘Postcard’ was chosen, which provided the perfect springboard to create a brand that would become the go-to destination for self care.

Postcard began in a kitchen after founder Hildra developed a skin condition, gaining recognition across Singapore for its eco-friendly, organic hair, skincare and lifestyle products. While sustainability remains central to the brand’s ethos, now, Postcard wants to bring its products to more people and encourage a simpler approach to self care. The aim with the rebrand was to elevate sustainable products, making them feel more desirable and aligned with the big brands found in beauty giants such as Sephora.

Making care personal again

While sustainability has become a mainstream conversation in the beauty industry, Postcard needed an identity that would stand out and connect more deeply with consumers.

Robot Food’s strategic expertise has helped transform Postcard’s brand identity, positioning it as a destination for all essential self-care supplies. The brand’s mission centres around fostering a lifestyle of mindful consumption, reducing waste, and lessening the pressures of everyday life.

The brand’s aim is to make self-care personal again, encapsulated by Robot Food’s creative platform, “Wish you were here” that positions the brand as an inviting space where worries wash away and indulging in less is a lifestyle to aspire to.

Martin Widdowfield, Creative Director at Robot Food said “Our challenge was to develop a brand identity that maintained the authenticity of Postcard’s sustainable roots, without straying into the classic eco-friendly tropes. We focused on reframing indulgence as something that doesn’t have to be wasteful, and tapped into the growing desire for “life with less pressure,” by celebrating environments, both at home and in nature.”

In today’s crowded beauty market, Postcard needed to deliver more than just sustainability credentials. So instead of adding to the noise, the brand encourages consumers to rewrite their self-care ritual by inviting them to slow down and indulge in the simple joys of life.

“Hildra really resonates with her consumers in Singapore by creating self care products that soothe, calm and connect on a personal level.” Libby Goodyear at Robot Food said “We knew this compassion and emotional connection would resonate with a more global audience.”

Crafting personality

This led to the concept of ‘Postcards’—a collection of beauty products designed to emotionally transport consumers to different places and moments through evocative scents and textures. Robot Food’s inviting packaging design and product names, such as ‘Clear Skies’ and ‘Icy Peaks,’ reflect serene places in nature, whereas the new Postcard logo features organic quirks inspired by vintage store signage. The logo’s textured look and feel mimics hand-printing techniques, like stamps, creating an imperfect effect that reflects the brand’s artisanal roots.

In addition, stamp illustrations bring out the personality of each product, adding a rich, exploratory nature to the brand. These stamps are designed as a collection of postal stamps from around the world, inspired by a singular illustration style. They are intentionally simple, never too ornate or complex, as though they were sketches capturing moments from the locations they represent.

“From the logo and illustrations to the typography and wider brand assets, every element of the design lives and breathes the concept of Postcard” comments Robot Food’ Senior Designer, Craig Lindsay. “By viewing every detail, however big or small, through this lens of transportation and discovery, we’ve created an immersive experience consumers can’t wait to be a part of.”

The tone of voice is equally curated, balancing sensorial, romantic language with unexpected twists, surprising consumers with an experience that defies typical beauty stereotypes. “The perfect recipe of emotion and fantasy, the voice was all about transporting the reader to another time or place. Or simply encouraging them to experience the current moment a little differently.” says Robot Food’s Senior Copywriter Lizzie de Jong.

An immersive experience

To bring the brand to life in the wider world, Robot Food tapped into consumers’ interest in beauty tourism and the multicultural vibrancy of Singapore to create experiential physical and digital spaces. They designed the website in collaboration with Hungry Sandwich Club, as well as translating the new identity across social media, in-store displays and home delivery.

With its new brand identity and website, Postcard is ready to expand beyond Singapore, leading a new wave of self-care that redefines it as an emotional and personal experience. This rebrand positions Postcard as more than just a sustainable beauty and lifestyle brand—it becomes a thoughtful, aspirational choice for consumers seeking deeper connections in their self-care routines.

Hildra Gwee, Co-Founder at Postcard adds: “In a world where sustainable and natural brands all look and sound the same, we wanted to create a brand that embodies an aspirational lifestyle—demonstrating that sustainability can be both desirable and intentional, not just a guilt-driven choice.”