UpCircle
Scrub up, look sharp
New name, new voice, new look: a natural beauty brand gets a total makeover.
Thanks, Dragons
With a £50,000 investment from Dragons’ Den in the bag, sustainable skincare business Optiat asked us and Studio More to help completely rebrand the business.
The UK chucks away 500,000 tonnes of coffee grounds every year. Since 2015, Optiat has been rescuing some of it, and turning it into brilliant beauty products – like its iconic body scrub.
In September 2018, founders William and Anna put their business to the test on Dragons’ Den – and negotiated an impressive deal with Tej Lalvani and Touker Suleyman. The one condition? They overhaul their brand and packaging, which were seen as inconsistent and confusing.
That’s where we came in.
A new name
The brand’s original name, Optiat, is an acronym for ‘One Person’s Trash Is Another’s Treasure.’
It’s an interesting name – but only once you’ve learned what it means. Plus, Touker wasn’t alone in assuming Optiat was an eyewear brand.
The founders needed a less confusing name, with a stronger link to what they do.
UpCircle came out of our three-stage naming process, and a deep dive into the brand’s focus on sustainability and promoting a circular economy.
The word UpCircle captures the idea of positively re-using old things, with ‘up’ suggesting an elevated, uplifting purpose.
Shelf appeal
Name decided, we moved on to UpCircle’s verbal identity.
We wrote the tagline ‘All round better skincare’ which ties in neatly with the name and mission. We created copy for all the packaging, focused on boosting UpCircle’s shelf appeal in the crowded skincare sector. And we provided social media copy guidance, as well as packaging and newsletter templates.
The decision to relaunch a brand is a big one, especially when you’ve already build a tribe of loyal followers. But UpCircle’s new look and feel has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reception, from even its most loyal fans.
Onward and UpCircle…
