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.bar

Deliverables

Visual identity  (concept)

Packaging

3D Visualization

Tools

Illustrator

Blender

Team

Jackie Tan

.bar is an environmentally sustainable brand that strives to become the next staple product in everyone's shower routine by replacing the conventional plastic containers that constantly dominate the hygiene industry. Instead of a plastic container that will be discarded after use, the container functions as a shampoo, conditioner, or body wash bar, leading to minimal waste. The transition away from liquid hygiene care may be difficult so .bar still gives consumers the familiar experience of liquid wash. Additionally, the product is made with natural sulfate-free ingredients, and is fragrance-free.
 

We based the brand on the SOAPBOTTLE concept developed by Jonna Brietenhuber and her team in Germany. Our intention is to help develop their idea as if we were part of their team. The current concept of SOAPBOTTLE involves using the exterior container as soap. However, we believe there is potential to expand the concept to include body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, in order to cater to a larger demand. With this expansion, SOAPBOTTLE would require rebranding. We also want to introduce this concept to the Canadian and USA markets, targeting a wider audience.
 

The result is a minimalist identity and packaging that conveys sustainability and minimal waste. Furthermore, the brand name can be customized based on the product to make it more memorable for the audience, enabling them to easily incorporate this potential staple product into their everyday shower routine.

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Process

Challenge

The personal hygiene industry is currently still dominated by plastic bottles. SOAPBOTTLE aims to reduce plastic waste by creating a product where the bottle is made out of soap, allowing it to be washed away. This project has been in development since 2021, but there have been no updates since then. We believe that there is a way to increase demand for the product by extending the soap bottle concept to include solid body wash and shampoo. This would enable the bottle to contain liquid shampoo, body wash, or conditioner, providing more flexibility. Extending from the soap bar to other functionalities, the brand would need a rebranding.

Jonna Brietenhuber's SOAPBOTTLE - Image owned by SOAPBOTTLE Company BV

Competitor Research

We conducted competitor research on the packaging and ingredients of their products to determine the minimum requirements that the brand must adhere to in order to be viable in the North American market.

 

We decided to incorporate the following properties into the brand:

  • Use natural, sulphate-free and fragrance-free ingredients

  • Use paper or other sustainable packaging materials

Brand name

Extending from soap bar to other functionalities, the brand would of course need a new name. Below are a list of brand names we both brainstormed. We ended up with .bar because we want the product to eventually become a staple product in everyone‘s daily shower routine. This catchy name is also adaptable, as a prefix can be added in front of the period based on what type of product the exterior consists of. For instance, if the exterior consists of solid shampoo, the product would be called shampoo.bar. If it consists of a body wash, the name would be bodywash.bar.

Brand name brainstorming

Logo design

We took the embossing of the logo on the product into consideration. Having a variety of stroke widths would make the logo look inconsistent, as the thin strokes might break during the production process. Therefore, we have decided to go with a geometric sans serif wordmark with a consistent stroke width.

Logo brainstorming

Final logo

Packaging design

The original packaging consisted only of a thin paper strip label. However, if we want to introduce the brand to the Canadian and American markets, we would require more surface area on the packaging to accommodate additional information necessary to comply with packaging regulations. 

Brainstormed packaging designs

Final packaging design

The final design is a combination of our ideas. We both agreed that having an extended packaging that holds the bottom of the bar would be more sanitary, as it would prevent the bar from directly touching the retail shelf. As for the substrate, we decided to use paperboard sourced from FSC Certified sources, adhering to our commitment to sustainability.

Final designs - the logo emboss and bar opening placement has a slight variation to differentiate between the body wash and shampoo exterior.

Dielines

SOAPBOTTLE's original packaging includes a bendable aluminum clip designed to assist in cutting open the bar. However, we have made the decision to not include this item for the product. Many consumers may be trying the product for the first time, and if they do not prefer this method of hygiene care, then the aluminum clip would no longer serve any purpose once the product has been used, leading to waste.

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Jonna Brietenhuber's SOAPBOTTLE - Image owned by SOAPBOTTLE Company BV

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