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InspirationGraphic Design

Placeholder's new identity for Crown Affair which hopes to make haircare a 'daily ritual'

It brought us the Plastic Paper book and more recently a sustainable and renewable Biodegradable Bamboo Bag; now New York design studio Placeholder has unveiled its identity for a new kind of haircare brand.

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Crown Affair haircare products displayed with minimalist packaging in pale green, including a dropper bottle of The Oil and branded boxes stacked together

Crown Affair is on a mission to make haircare a "daily ritual" and its founder, Dianna Cohen, approached Sho Shibuya at Placeholder to work collaboratively on its brand. The pair met in 2017 when they both worked at travel company, Away.

"That background allowed us to take full advantage of our deeply collaborative creative process and range of skills," says Sho. "Early on, we identified important influences on Dianna's vision for the brand, like the artwork of Constantin Brâncusi and Ed Ruscha, with interpretations of each making their way into the final identity. We delved into a deep competitive brand research phase, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of every company in the market, and identifying ways to make Crown Affair stand out from the pack."

Placeholder crafted strategy, established positioning, developed the graphic identity, and ultimately delivered an entire suite from website to packaging to launch campaign. "We helped take the company from a few sketches and product prototypes to a full-scale brand identity system," adds Sho.

There's bespoke paper packaging by Colophon Paper, a custom typeface created with Grilli Type, a teaser website made with Twomuch Studio, and in-house prototyping and iteration.

"The engagement culminated in an iconic, minimalist launch campaign that closed the loop with reference to that original fundamental idea, Take Your Time, with expressive photography, unorthodox angles, a focus on the sky, and a diverse range of talent," continues Sho.

Crown Affair celebrated its launch at the beginning of the year. Today, during the COVID-19 crisis, it's donating 10% of all purchases made to No Kid Hungry. "We couldn't be prouder that they're continuing to act on their values," says Sho.

Crown Affair logotype in bold black sans-serif typeface on pale green background
Typography specimen showing Placeholder's custom typeface for Crown Affair with uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals and special characters on cream background
Grid of cream-coloured tiles printed with interlocking snake motifs, with one tile pulled away to reveal a dark void beneath
Crown Affair haircare products including combs, brushes and a green glass vessel arranged on a white surface
Three stacked Crown Affair cardboard packaging boxes in tan and sage green, showing branded exterior and interior packaging design details
White paper cable organiser with Crown Affair and Affair embossed text, wrapped around a black cable on a tan surface
Pale green printed pages showing the words Crown Affair in bold black typography, part of Placeholder's brand identity design for the haircare company
Four white cards with embossed Crown Affair branding arranged on a mustard-yellow background, casting shadows
Multiple clear glass bottles with black dropper tops arranged in rows, each labelled with Crown Affair and Repair text on white background with shadows
Crown Affair branded white packaging with grey metal clip featuring a black and white photograph of two spheres on concentric circular lines
Person using a gold comb on blonde hair, split with image of a dark wavy hair strand on textured background, Crown Affair branding overlaid
Pale green square with black sans-serif text reading "CROWN AFFAIR" casting a shadow on light grey background
Crown Affair paddle brush with black bristles and dark handle nestled in pale green packaging box
Crown Affair haircare product boxes arranged in an abstract sculptural composition, displaying packaging design for The Oil, Crown and Affair products
Crown Affair haircare gift set containing a spray bottle, green hourglass timer, tortoiseshell hair clip and black paddle brush with branded packaging
Crown Affair haircare products and packaging arranged in a display, featuring brown paper boxes and bottles on a white surface
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