Handmade Soap BRANDING & PACKAGING DESIGN

Logo, Brand Identity, Illustrations and Packaging Designed for Grumpy Soaps.

Client: Grumpy Soaps

Skills: Graphic Design + Logo Design + Branding + Illustration + Packaging Design

The Grumpy Soaps logo features custom illustrations and bold typography, creating a distinctive and strong brand identity for their eco-friendly, ethically handmade soaps. This identity extends to packaging templates and consulting services for their website and photography, further establishing their soap’s branding.

Highly recommended! I’ve worked with Steve on grumpysoaps.co.uk for product packaging design, logos and site theme and layout tasks. I’ve found him to be both creative and attentive to my requirements.

Brett – Grumpy Soaps

Circular sticker branded designs for handmade soap

Handmade Soap Branding and Logo Design

The initial phase of the handmade soap branding involved creating a fun illustration of the owner, Brett. Using a few reference photos, I explored various styles to capture the perfect grumpy expression. This process was enjoyable, allowing for expressive illustrations that aligned with the business name.

The logotype’s typography was designed to be bold and strong, with sharp angles to emphasize the brand’s grumpiness, while maintaining a touch of humor. This aspect was crucial for reinforcing the handmade soap branding of Grumpy Soaps.

Customised Soap Packaging Design

I developed eco-friendly, customised soap packaging designs for Brett’s various products. The packaging needed a vintage feel, achieved through a border system with variable line weights and filigree, making the design appear more natural. These elements had to adapt to various shapes and sizes, from rectangular to circular packaging.

The packaging typography was refined to include a stylized font for titles and headlines and a cleaner font for smaller details to enhance legibility and highlight key elements. The colour scheme was kept minimal in dark brown/black to complement the recycled paper stock and materials.

handmade vegan soap branded packaging design

natural deodorant ecofriendly packaging designs

Thank You Card Artwork

The thank you cards were designed in the same style as the product packaging to maintain brand consistency. These cards are included with purchases to enhance customer engagement and inform them about the full product range while reinforcing Grumpy Soap’s eco-friendly credentials.

Handmade soap product web design consulting

Web Design Consultancy

Brett had previously worked as a web developer so he had the technical skills to build his own eCommerce website using ShopWired. However, he still wanted help with the design and branding to ensure that all his marketing was on-brand and recognisable.

Brett sought my guidance on the design and branding of the Grumpy Soaps website to ensure a cohesive and recognizable marketing presence. I reviewed the site, offering usability improvements and advice on photography for maximum impact within the eCommerce system.

The color scheme was inspired by recycled and recyclable packaging, reinforcing the products’ ethical sustainability. I aimed for neutral tones that were varied enough to highlight different aspects, providing a subtle yet effective contrast. This approach also ensured a neutral background allowing the product photography to stand out.

Alternative Illustration Styles and Logos

A significant amount of experimentation went into developing the Grumpy Soaps character illustration and logo. Ensuring the character’s expression was grumpy, not sad or angry, required subtle adjustments, particularly with the eyebrows. Removing the glasses helped maintain the focus on the facial expression without distractions.