Do or Dye
the desire to stand out.
These days, it seems like standing out is the new fitting in. More and more professional settings are not only allowing, but encouraging employees to express their individuality through tattoos, piercings, and of course, their hair.
Boxed hair dye is a cheap and accessible way for people to share their personalities. However, the process can be time consuming and confusing, and it can be hard to find the right one for you when all the boxes look the same.
How can we innovate the hair dye industry through the lens of packaging?
Initial Consumer Feedback
After developing a series of qualitative questions, we sent them out to a curated list of consistent hair dye users to gain feedback on the best and worst features of the products they use.
“The measuring process is confusing. It’s hard to figure out exactly how much of each type of product I need.”
“I usually get dye everywhere because the packaging usually isn’t the easiest to get all the product out while you’re making sure you’re whole head is covered in dye."
“I haven’t necessarily had a bad experience but it’s just sometimes confusing the way they word things."
User observations
User 1
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Liked how gloves were contained within instructions
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Gloves too small
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Needed scissors to cut nozzle
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Mixing bottle had no seal
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Closed bottle with finger to shake, then spilled product when removing finger
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Needs to include instrument to part hair
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Did not apply product correctly
User 2
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Overwhelmed by large instructions page
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Bottle contents spilled when cutting nozzle
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Lost the tip of nozzle down the drain
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No funnel or easy way to pour contents into bottle
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Could not tell when mixture was completely blended
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Would’ve benefitted from visual examples
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Dye spread to neck, then stained
why permanent color?
Permanent hair dye in vivid colors is an exciting new category in the body modification world. Vivid colors fade quickly, but unlike semi-permanent dyes, permanent products require re-application less often and can reassure our consumer that their results are made to last.
The Current Market
almost exclusively semi-permanent dyes
less accessible to the average consumer
new category
require additional products
limited options
mostly semi-permanent
lots of notably unreliable brands
natural colors; few vivids
long process with multiple steps
packaging is not distinctive
Design Goals
Strong Brand Identity
One-step, all inclusive process
Create a unique and cohesive new brand that contains a strong and identifiable form language. The product should stand-out on a shelf with competitors and encourage consumer interaction in stores.
Eliminate the current hassles of multiple bottles and steps by developing a single-step mixing process for the product. Not only will this simplify the overall experience, but it will minimize the amount of products the user has to purchase.
Clear and Intuitive Instruction
Integrate physical affordances within the packaging that creates an intuitive user flow. Partner this with a set of clear, concise instructions to eliminate and delays or confusion for the consumer.
Target User
For the experienced colorist.
Our target consumer values individuality and expressing themselves through their appearance. Our user is ageless, genderless, and nameless. In other words, there is no one else like them.
Our users are all one-of-a-kind, why shouldn't their hair care be?
Form Ideation
Inner Mechanics
Originating in the food industry, this technology creates the tight seal needed to separate the chemicals used in our product, while also utilizing a simple,
one-step opening process. As the user twists the top bottle cap to open thee product, the seal is broken, and the dye is released into the developer solution in the main compartment of the bottle.
Exploded View
bottle cap
loosely packed dye powder
interior nozzle cutout
secondary cap; dispersal nozzle
final style guide
final bottle print
*printed on an iridescent plastic
instruction sheet
CMF
vivid hair dye for vivid people.
