SKN Labs was the premium skincare brand launched under AvantGarde Brands — a Scandinavian-inspired anti-aging line built around custom-formulated, peptide-powered creams. The brief was clear: build a brand that could hold its own in a category where credibility, packaging, and visual identity drive purchase decisions as much as the product itself.
As co-owner, I led the brand from concept through to launch — formulation sourcing, packaging design, identity, campaign, and eCommerce — creating a cohesive, premium system across every customer touchpoint.
Premium skincare is one of the most visually competitive retail categories. The shelf — physical or digital — is crowded with brands claiming clinical efficacy and luxury credentials. To break through, SKN Labs needed more than a good product. It needed a brand identity and packaging system precise enough to signal quality at a glance, and a direct-to-consumer digital experience that could carry that premium feel through to purchase. Everything had to be built from scratch: the product formulation, the packaging, the visual language, and the eCommerce infrastructure.
- AvantGarde Brands Company
- Co-Founder Role
- 2010 – 2014 Operating Window
The Scandinavian-inspired positioning informed every design decision — clean, minimal, precise. The visual identity was built to communicate clinical credibility without feeling cold, and premium quality without feeling inaccessible. I developed the full brand system including identity, typography, colour palette, and brand guidelines applied consistently across packaging, print, digital, and campaign materials.
- Full visual identity and brand guidelines
- Tone of voice and brand positioning aligned to Scandinavian aesthetic
- Digital and print applications
I designed the full jar and label system — and sourced the physical packaging. This meant working directly with suppliers to select materials and finishes that matched the brand's premium positioning, and designing labels that worked within those constraints. The result was a cohesive product line where every element of the physical package reinforced the brand story.
- Jar and label system design
- Packaging supplier sourcing and specification
- Print-ready production files across all SKUs
Led the campaign creative for SKN Labs — digital and print — designed to communicate the peptide-blend efficacy story in visual terms. Campaign assets had to work across paid digital channels and in-store environments, maintaining the premium look and feel of the brand at every touchpoint.
- Digital and print campaign assets
- Product photography direction
- CRM design and management
As campaign traffic grew, we built a direct-to-consumer web experience to capture organic and paid demand. I designed and built the front-end — a clean, editorial experience that presented the product line in context and moved customers efficiently from awareness to purchase.
- eCommerce front-end design and development
- Product pages and checkout flow
- Visual design consistent with brand system
