Joonbyrd is a body care and wellness brand defying convention, infusing joy and playfulness into a category often dominated by clinical sterility. Founder Dr Alexis Granite approached Almighty seeking brand strategy, identity and packaging design that would not only resonate with consumers but transform their perception of body care rituals.

Rooted in self-expression and individual empowerment, Joonbyrd redefines beauty standards, shifting the focus from mere product functionality towards how they make you feel. Almighty has crafted a brand that embodies the essence of meaningful self-care, inspiring a generation to embrace their unique beauty.

Scope: Brand Strategy, Naming, Brand Identity, Product Design, Packaging Design, Web Design, Brand Guidelines and The story

Skincare shouldn’t be a chore. For too long, it’s been confined to clinical routines and unattainable ideals. Although the beauty category has made strides in celebrating diverse body shapes and skin types, there’s still more to be done.

Joonbyrd speaks to a generation seeking joy and self-expression, empowering them to prioritise their wellbeing authentically and fulfillingly. Beauty is more than skin deep, and Joonbyrd celebrates individuality, confidence, and the pure joy of self-care.

Almighty had the privilege of bringing Joonbyrd’s vision to life, solidifying its position as a pioneer in the evolving beauty and wellness industry. They crafted a brand that highlights scientific efficacy while fostering positive emotions, enabling everyone to embrace their unique beauty, one joyful ritual at a time.

What is Joonbyrd?

Joonbyrd was founded by leading dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite to address a need for beauty, wellbeing and lifestyle products that are as emotionally intelligent as they are efficacious. Alexis set out to redefine wellness with a brand that speaks to the heart as well as the skin.

Alexis explains: “It all started in my grandmother’s bathroom. As a young girl, I spent hours opening and closing the gold-lidded pots of her lotions and potions, inhaling their sweet scents. Using a dollop of this, a spritz of that, I learned the significance of self-care, and it never left me. Self-care rituals, both big and small, allow us to reflect, restore and empower. Simple pleasures, such as colours, fragrances and textures, can be transformative, connecting us to our present and the past.”

Created for “doers” and “dreamers” alike, Joonbyrd seeks to educate, enlighten and entertain through emotional connection, ultimately enriching the lives of our consumers and community.

Joonbyrd, inspired by the Farsi word ‘joon’, meaning ‘soul, spirit and life’, combines science-backed formulations with mood-boosting sensory experiences, creating a new category of “affective wellness”. The debut collection includes five high-performance body care products, catering to the growing consumer demand for body care that rivals facial skincare in innovation and efficacy.

This unique combination of “science with soul” lies at the brand’s heart and quickly became a crucial part of Almighty’s design challenge.

Why should we care?

The global beauty market — defined as skincare, fragrance, makeup, and haircare — is changing. Over the last decade, consumers have lapped up new beauty products and wellness trends with gusto, with the market’s global value on track to hit $580 billion by 2027, up from $430 billion in 2022.

However, world events, notably the pandemic and its lockdowns, have led to a significant shift in consumer behaviour. Faced with an abundance of unused products and a rising cost of living, people are now spending more thoughtfully on beauty. Instead of impulse buying, they are investing in fewer, more luxurious products that offer a more profound, more emotional experience.

Almighty’s founder and creative director Matt Burke explains: “We’re witnessing a revival of the sentimental allure of the past in the beauty industry. In uncertain times, nostalgia offers solace. It transports us to simpler moments, sparking feelings of security, joy, and warmth. Beauty products, with their distinct scents and textures, can provide a powerful grounding experience.”

This is evident in several beauty launches that have tapped into that wistful longing for happier times. In 2020, Lancôme, following consumer demand, brought back its iconic ‘Juicy Tube’ lip glosses after discontinuing them in 2018. And Estée Lauder created a limited edition of its retro blue packaging in 2021 to celebrate its 75th anniversary, which sold out in days.

The Brief

The brief was to inject joy and fun into the beauty and wellness category.
As a dermatologist-founded brand with performance-driven ingredients in elevated formulas and luxurious scents, Alexis wanted to shake up the category, giving users an immersive experience.

Challenged with achieving a harmonious balance between credibility and desirability, Almighty set out to develop a brand identity that evoked a sense of playful wonder and would stand out and sit proudly on bathroom shelves.
Bringing the vision to life

After trying out various visual routes, it was clear that Almighty had to boldly reject the ubiquitous clinical, minimalist aesthetic of results-driven beauty in order to carve out something more captivating. In a category often dominated by minimalism, it wanted to connect users with the products on an emotional level.

Almighty revisited the strategy, and after a deeper discussion with Alexis, it settled on the idea of “credible nostalgia.” This became the north star of Joonbyrd’s identity: a joyful, maximalist aesthetic started to form.

Diverging from the crowd, Almighty actively avoided using lifestyle photography. It collaborated with creative studio Illo to create a series of psychedelic and slightly surreal imagery that felt more like a journey of discovery, where you want to delve deeper to explore — a bit like Alice peering down the rabbit hole.

“Our vision for Joonbyrd was a visual, magical, sensorial world — a playful, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ kind of trippiness that captured the origins of Alexis childhood memories playing with her grandmother’s lotions and potions and inhaling their sweet scents,” says Matt.

The rich, playful candy colour palette is paired with the signature ‘JB’ pattern that wraps around the product bottles and cartons, echoing the throwback appeal of the 60s and 70s. Its lava lamp-like fluidity became a theme for the brand and a truly ownable device for packaging and beyond.

To reinforce Joonbyrd’s commitment to science-backed, results-driven skincare, Almighty crafted a set of four icons representing the brand’s core pillars: Hardworking Actives, Microbiome Support, Botanical Extracts, and Functional Enhancers. These icons visually communicate the brand’s dedication to creating products that are both seriously innovative and sensitively kind to the skin.

Central to the brand’s appeal is the custom-designed, refillable glass bottle. Developed in collaboration with Alexis, this tactile and visually distinctive container showcases the product while remaining environmentally conscious, being made from glass. The silicone sleeves, or “bumper”, as Almighty calls them, add a layer of protection and customisation, making each bottle a personalised statement.

Adding to this concept of individuality, Almighty collaborated with illustrator Lindsey Made This to design wearable charms that can also be used to personalise the bottles: yet another way to celebrate the joy and fun of beauty while creating a deeper connection between the user and the brand.

The Outcome

Together with Alexis, Almighty has developed a brand that feels joyful and stands out on the shelf in a saturated category. Masterfully blending magical moments, science, storytelling and a hint of nostalgia, Joonbyrd’s innovative design positions the brand at the forefront of the beauty and wellness industry, creating rituals and experiences that ignite the spirit and spur the imagination.

Joonbyrd has made an immediate impact, with the Sunday Times Style magazine labelling the branding as “the most upbeat packaging out there”.

Dr Alexis Granite, founder of Joonbyrd, added: “We were trying to bring to life a new beauty and wellness brand that communicated both clinical expertise and joyful nostalgia. Almighty was instrumental in exploring a number of different avenues until we landed on the very heart of the Joonbyrd brand. We have been so thrilled with the outcome and we’re looking forward to continued collaboration as the Joonbyrd world grows and we launch new and exciting product categories.”