Package Design - August 2014 - 22

sponsored by

TransformaTive

reveals
Makeover Challenge concepts deliver
category-changing potential.

By Linda Casey
his year's Makeover Challenge brand,
Kelley Quan New York, aspires to
fundamentally change the product's
category. "I was so disturbed when I
found out how the hair for makeup brushes is
harvested," Kelley Quan, professional makeup
artist and the founder of Kelley Quan New York,
recalls. "Animals are either brutally stripped of
their pelts or maimed without regard while
being sheared, especially in countries where
animal welfare regulations are either lax or nonexistent. So I looked for an alternative, but I
couldn't find a fabulous synthetic brush. That
started my journey to create brushes that meet
my own needs as a makeup artist."
Today, Kelley Quan New York makeup brushes
are ethically manufactured in a family-run factory
in upstate New York to Quan's exacting standards,
which are so high that Quan compares her
brushes to top-end brushes made anywhere in
the world, including the very high-end, handcrafted brushes from Japan. Clearly, Quan is set to
change the makeup brush category for the better.
The packaging concepts developed by this
year's four competing design teams-Base
Beauty Creative Agency, Envision Creative
22

AUGUST 2014

Group, Spring Design Partners and Zunda
Group-also have category-changing potential.
Each of the concepts not only aim to provide a
strong presence at retail, with one concept
aspiring to bring "drama" into the retail environment, but continue to deliver marketing and
branding benefits after the sale.
All concepts are far afield from the clear
plastic sleeves often used for brushes at retail,
and all competitors worked with Quan to create
concepts that deliver marketing benefits even
beyond Quan's existing packaging-a pink carton that's landed Kelley Quan New York space
on the shelves of retailers such as Whole Foods.
"The contest process has been really amazing," Quan remarks. "The competitors asked
very provocative questions, and I had to be very
considerate about my response because they
were going to use that information in their

designs. It
was such an amazing opportunity to have to be
able to verbalize what my
brand is about and where I
see it going, four times. It's
an interesting process for
a brand to go through,
especially if you are
open enough to
explore ideas you
might not have thought
about simply because it's not in your realm of
expertise."
The most popular design-determined by
votes by the marketing, branding and design
experts in the Package Design community
online and in person at this year's Pack Expo-
wins the challenge and will be featured in the
November/December 2014 issue.
To learn more about each concept and the
strategies behind them, turn to page 24.
Package Design thanks FiberMark North America
Inc., a world-class manufacturer and global distributor of fiber-based decorative covering materials and dyed-through paperboards. The
company forms a rich tapestry of inspired top-ofthe-line products for luxury packaging and
upscale collateral helping premier brands stand
out more distinctively.

Package Design - August 2014

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