Working in collaboration with Donni Davy, the visionary makeup artist behind HBO’s renowned television show Euphoria, Mythology worked to create all the elements of the brand and visual world (name, branding, packaging, zine, launch film and campaign) to introduce her highly anticipated debut makeup line Half Magic to the world.

With all elements of the brand which includes the name, voice and positioning, brand design and packaging design, photo art direction and social style guide – the artistry and fantasy that Donni Davy created with Euphoria’s makeup were the primary inspiration style for the brand. Everything from the logo and packaging design to casting and production of the launch campaign were designed to bring this inclusive and expressive line to life.

We distilled Donni’s signature use of rhinestones and iridescence into an iconic diamond mark that is used across the identity in the logomark, wordmark, and as a cut out brand pattern on the primary packaging that would show the vibrant color of the makeup. Similarly, in order to amplify the brilliance and shimmer of the makeup, the color palette was kept minimal and largely quite neutral.

With illustration on the packaging, the tension between total fantasy and creation and real life was brought to life using the bold maximalist elements of Sara Rabin’s illustrations and having a beautiful, but more restrained wordmark.

When thinking about the packaging, it was paramount to the vision for the brand that sustainability be at the crux of the primary and secondary packaging design – utilizing sustainable, renewable and innovative materials at every opportunity in its first life, in addition to thinking about how the product empties would be recycled and returned to tread as lightly on the planet as possible allowed us to use a 360 lens when thinking about the product and its lifecycle.

As such, Half Magic is the first beauty brand to introduce PaperFoam® as primary packaging featured in its Eyeshadow Singles collection. PaperFoam® is a lightweight, sturdy, and biodegradable material created with industrial potato starch and molded cellulose. It is commonly used for electronics, pharmaceuticals, and the ubiquitous egg carton packaging — a material that is home compostable and curbside recyclable with paper goods. Consumers can buy the individual Eyeshadow Single – that comes in the PaperFoam® packaging – and then remove the eyeshadow from the PaperFoam® and place it in the Forever Palette—a customizable, magnetic palette that allows the customer to build their own collection of shades across multiple Half Magic products in one case.

Additionally, all secondary packaging is made from tree-free paper, and Light Trap, the highlighter product, is an entirely tree-free paper palette with a recyclable tin makeup pan & the Mail-Back Program was designed for customers to ship back empty packaging once they are done with the product – but being less than one year from launch, many customers are just now finishing products and have yet to take advantage of the program. We’ve received positive feedback and excitement among the beauty community about its implementation.