Botanical Atelier

Timeline

1 week

Role

Brand Designer

Tools

Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop

Project Overview

My mom has always been my #1 cheerleader and she’s always asking me to help her design her many side hustles.


I wanted the chance to manage a project entirely—from logo to messaging and values—with absolute creative freedom, and where better to experiment than with my #1 cheerleader’s brand?


Botanical Atelier is the invention of my mom. It is a skincare line with ingredients fully sourced from her garden and champions clean Korean skincare.

Ideation + Research

I drew inspiration from diverse skincare lines like Beauty of Joseon and Glossier—two brands renowned for their distinct design aesthetics, yet positioned at opposite ends of the spectrum. Beauty of Joseon embodies a soft, mature, and natural vibe, while Glossier is punchy, playful, and minimalist. My goal was to blend Glossier's energetic appeal with Beauty of Joseon’s refined elegance, creating a brand that resonates across a wider age range. Here were some findings from my research:

  • Primary colors are helpful for drawing attention

  • Use of photography is great, but don’t use it as a crutch to hide bad design

  • Negative space feels expensive when used well

Brand Values

Branding serves as a visual expression of a company's core values and beliefs. It's essential to establish clear value pillars that shape the brand’s visual identity. Here are the pillars I developed for Botanical Atelier:

  • Honesty and Transparency: Real ingredients for real people.

  • Customer Obsession: Prioritizing customers at every touchpoint, with a commitment to high-quality service and genuine care.

  • Sustainability: From sourcing to manufacturing and stocking, our entire supply chain is ethical and waste-free.

For color I was inspired by the mini documentary, The Magic of Color, which studied Josef Albers’ approach to color. He believed that colors on their own evoke completely different feelings than when they interact with one another through overlay. I took this into account when choosing my color palette.

Typography

I chose DM Sans for its inviting curves and excellent readability. However, I wanted my mom’s brand to have a typeface that would set it apart. DM Mono offered a sophisticated, timeless aesthetic, and being from the same family, it paired well with DM Sans for a cohesive yet distinctive look.

DM Sans 18pt

AaBbCc-123-Botanical


AaBbCc-123-Botanical


AaBbCc-123-Botanical


FONT

WEIGHTS

REGULAR

ITALIC

BOLD

B1-Light Italic 50px

B2-Light Italic 40px

B3-Light Italic 25px

B4-Light Italic 15px

BODY COPY

H1-Bold 50px

H2-Bold 40px

H3-Regular 31px

H4-Regular 25px

HEADLINES

H1-Bold 50px

H2-Bold 40px

H3-Regular 31px

H4-Regular 25px

HEADLINES

B1-Light Italic 50px

B2-Light Italic 40px

B3-Light Italic 25px

B4-Light Italic 15px

BODY COPY

DM Mono

AaBbCc-123-Botanical


AaBbCc-123-Botanical


AaBbCc-123-Botanical


FONT

WEIGHTS

REGULAR

ITALIC

BOLD

Logo

The logo needed to be both typographical and pictorial. Here were some key ideas I wanted to integrate into the logo:

  • Visualize the B from Botanical and A from Atelier in an abstract, seamless way

  • Hold to the brand values of clean beauty

  • Clear regardless of black and white or full color

Initial logo sketches

Final pictoral and word mark

Final pictorial

and word mark

Logo variations and color pairings

Packaging + Assets

The packaging of the product was important to me because let’s be honest, we all judge a book by it’s cover. I wanted the products to pop off the shelves and to be fun and playful yet hold fast to the core values we established at the beginning of the process.

The packaging of the product was important to me because, let’s be honest, we all judge a book by it’s cover. I wanted the products to pop off the shelves and to be fun and playful yet hold fast to the core values we established at the beginning of the process.

Ace of Skin

Sea Buckthorn +

Vitamins C, A, & E

Made in San Francisco <3

Botanical

Atelier

Made in San Francisco <3

Bye Bye

Fine Lines

Bakuchiol + Rice Bran Active

Botanical

Atelier

Bye Bye Fine Lines

Bakuchiol + Rice Bran Active

Made in San Francisco <3

Botanical

Atelier

Skin IV Serum

glowy skin

youthful complexion

pH balance

elasticity

Botanical

Atelier

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,

Introducing SKIN IV, a premium facial oil expertly crafted to address your skin's hydration, aging, and overall health needs.

Skin IV Serum

Botanical

Atelier

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,

Introducing SKIN IV, a premium facial oil expertly crafted to address your skin's hydration, aging, and overall health needs.

Skin IV Serum

glowy skin

youthful complexion

pH balance

elasticity

Botanical

Atelier

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,

Introducing SKIN IV, a premium facial oil expertly crafted to address your skin's hydration, aging, and overall health needs.

Skin IV Serum

Botanical

Atelier

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Boswellia Carterii (Frankincense) Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,

Introducing SKIN IV, a premium facial oil expertly crafted to address your skin's hydration, aging, and overall health needs.

Seamless application

Rice Bran Oil

soothing + regenerate

Takeways

In heading a project on my own I wanted to document my process very carefully so I could iterate on my design process in the future. I did this through taking videos and posting them on my instagram, I also used this as a way to hold myself accountable to complete the project. A few changes I’d like to make in the future are as follows:

  • Experiment with more colors, feel free to get bold and move past primary colors

  • Ensure the value pillars are woven throughout every aspect of the project, they are the main thesis of the brand. Continue to go back to them time and time again

  • Although it’s a personal project, conduct interviews and ask for feedback! Check in with non-designers, after all, thats who you’re creating for!

In heading a project on my own I wanted to document my process very carefully so I could iterate on my design process in the future. I did this through taking videos and posting them on my instagram, I also used this as a way to hold myself accountable to complete the project. A few changes I’d like to make in the future are as follows:

  • Experiment with more colors, feel free to get bold and move past primary colors

  • Ensure the value pillars are woven throughout every aspect of the project, they are the main thesis of the brand. Continue to go back to them time and time again

  • Although it’s a personal project, conduct interviews and ask for feedback! Check in with non-designers, after all, that's who you’re creating for!

Thanks for visiting!


Ellie has a slight obsession with checking her email so feel free to drop her a line at egpaik@usc.edu

Fonts: Helvetica Neue & Old Standard TT

  • elliepaik.com

Thanks for visiting!


Ellie has an obsession with checking her email so feel free to drop her a line at egpaik@usc.edu

Fonts: Helvetica Neue & Old Standard TT

  • elliepaik.com