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Brand Reflection: Aesop
The Power of Design
As someone who has never had anything remotely resembling a skincare routine my recent obsession with Aesop skincare products feels quite out of character. Although it's no surprise that a brand that is so design forward resonated with me. I'll admit, when it comes to brands and products I very often find myself "judging a book by it's cover," and I'm a sucker for neat packaging when browsing the shelves at any store. That being said, I don't think Aesop's products would resonate with me nearly as much without the context that they are placed in. When I walked into an Aesop store for the first time in Wicker Park, Chicago, the architecture nerd in me immediately said, "Yep, this is heaven." It's no coincidence that my experience in that store resonated with me so much, and Aesop has seen large success by leveraging the power of design to ensure that their target audience (me), is consistently willing to spend $61 for facial hydrator. Aesop has done an incredible job of defining the impact of a holistic brand experience in an age where consumers could just as easily order a gallon of face wash to their doorstep for a fraction of Aesop's price tag.
Wabi-Sabi
Aesop's founder outlines her intentions in starting the brand as being for those, "whom the fantasy of the traditional beauty industry is too extreme,” (Jo Nagasaka). The brand utilizes the Japanese design philosophy Wabi-Sabi, the belief that true beauty necessitates elements of natural imperfection, as a core principle in directing their brand. Aesop acknowledges that to the rest of the beauty industry the statement that true beauty lies in imperfection sounds paradoxical, especially for a luxury brand. Aesop has set out to prove that imperfection and beauty in fact exist in harmony, and this statement has clearly resonated. The Wabi-Sabi principle permeates through every aspect of the Aesop brand's design, from raw architectural features in their retail spaces to packaging that ages with use. For Aesop, their emphasis on design is not merely a byproduct of their desire to resonate with a certain target audience. Instead, design is the essence of Aesop's identity, and the language through which they wage war on modern beauty standards.
Retail Architecture
Virgil Abloh once said, "I could put this candle in an all-white gallery space and make it look like a piece of art. I could also put this candle in a garage and make it look like a piece of trash." Aesop's strong emphasis on placing their products in the context of architecturally stunning retail environments appears to be the key to their success. Although the skincare brand does execute at a high level on many other facets of their brand experience, I have a hard time believing that Aesop would have been able to create such a gap between their competitors based on packaging, media, or even proprietary products alone. Each store is designed with a fascinating blend between raw minimalism and luxurious attention to form, perfectly encapsulating the wabi-sabi principles that the brand was founded on. In fact, every store has such a unique design that there is no real tie between any of Aesop's retail locations except for these core design principles. I never miss the chance to stop into a new Aesop store wherever I am just to see the architecture, and I have a strong intuition that this is a very intentional strategy that Aesop has flawlessly deployed.
Packaging Design
Now, although I genuinely do believe that a used piece of gum would sell if you put it in the context of an Aesop retail environment, Aesop's packaging only adds to the brand's luxurious experience. The brand's signature design aesthetic rolls seamlessly into to the packaging. I don't know enough about skincare products to know if what's inside an Aesop bottle is actually anything special, but the signature Wabi-Sabi philosophy is deployed in both the form and function of the brand's packaging. The graphic design that is deployed on the packaging seems to somehow make big blocks of text feel chic. Aesop's choice to use aluminum tubes results in packaging which holds structure while taking on new shape after each use. This is a stark contrast to the silicone tubes that is industry standard, and the aluminum tube serves to give a feeling of luxury while simultaneously deteriorating in form with each use. The brand even goes as far as to photograph these products partially deformed, proving that this effect is intentional.
Shibuya, Japan
Lyon, France
Barcelona, Spain
Takeaways
It's exciting to see a brand making such a powerful societal statement with intentional design at the helm. Aesop shows an impressive commitment to their holistic brand experience, and they are able to maintain such consistent design standards without redundancy due to their clear understanding of their mission and core values. Aesop's design is a masterclass in what it means for a brand's design to be their voice. I think back to the words I heard from my 8th grade english teacher, "show, don't tell!" It often feels like brands are telling you what they are about without the action behind it, but Aesop is showing what they are about and walking the walk. From a practical perspective they offer a natural health approach to skincare to prove that you can look and feel beautiful without covering up to try to look perfect. From a design perspective they use raw form and organic materiality as standing proof of that same principle, true beauty lies in imperfection.
Digital Presence
Aesop's website design maintains their commitment to the Wabi-Sabi principle. The site's aesthetic and structure serves to create an effortless and clean user experience, with a minimalistic visual approach and concise language. Elements of rawness and imperfection are still noticeable throughout, seen in the off-center product photos and the utilization of overwhelming empty space. Although, there are some aspects of the website that leave something to be desired for me. Particularly, the home page feels simultaneously visually underwhelming and disorganized, especially in the hero section. The awkward sizing and placement of the home page's content does not help the photographs' natural beauty to shine through. The navigation leaves me somewhat confused when looking for the products I use, and the information architecture could certainly be improved. UX design isn't all about aesthetics Aesop! Hire me. You can reference their site here to see what you think for yourself.
© 2035 CARSON ALFORD
My Philosophy
I strive to bring a sense of humanity into an increasingly technological world by empathizing with product users.
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