Milkweed Hair Care

The Project

People want to help the environment, but current avenues are expensive, and most corporations decide it’s not worth the cost. My senior project was a chance to build an entirely green brand and explore what it would take to create affordable and eco-friendly hair care. Many shampoos market a list of organic ingredients or cruelty-free practices but ignore eco-friendly packaging.

Taking inspiration from O’Right, the original “tree in a bottle” brand, I created a product that is not only more cost-effective but also more realistic for everyday consumers to use. Two problems I addressed were the specific conditions needed for PLA plastic to breakdown, and the issue that not everyone has the place for trees to grow. Swamp milkweed is native to most of North America and can be placed in planters for those who don’t have a yard for trees.

Primary Logo

Secondary Logo

The Vision

I followed the philosophy “Identity drives design,” for this project in order to highlight the ideals of the company. I kept packaging and design simple to illustrate the clean, organic ingredients used within the product. Modest packaging also reduces the amount of materials needed, and therefore, the overall cost.

During my research, I found that 80% of consumers say that they would feel more loyal to brands that value community and environmental growth over money and status (Sustainable Brands 2015).

When I started the project in 2019, organic ingredients and clean products were trendy, but the environmental impact was usually a footnote rather than the focus. My product aimed to change that.

The Bottle

My research was most helpful in creating all the hypotheticals for my brand, like the materials used in the bottle and creating different formulas for different hair goals.

The biggest inspiration for my product came from the brand O’Right, the original “tree in a bottle.” I’ve included screenshots from their website below. My main goal was to improve on their original concept and make it more realistic and affordable for the average consumer.

The Mobile Site

Along with the logo and packaging, I designed a mobile site to really take my brand to the next level. In addition, I created a high-fidelity prototype.

I started with a card-sorting survey to determine what pages I would need to include and how they should be laid out. The results were then transferred to an image I could look at and easily follow at a glance.