MAIA

Designing a sustainable
makeup brand & product

OBJECTIVE

Design a brand & a refillable product to tackle the makeup industry’s INCREASINGLY ALARMING waste culture.

ROLE

• Creative Direction
• Product Design
• UX research
• Video Editing

TIMELINE

Jan - Jun 2021

ABOUT
MAIA

Maia was the culminating project of my final year at the d.school at Stanford. My teammate and I developed and implemented our idea of a reusable lipstick/blush hybrid stick that would promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future for the cosmetics industry.

HOW IT WORKS

Disposing of the empty refill

Inserting the new refill

USER RESEARCH

Define Target Audience

YOUNG ADULTS (16-28)

WHO WISH TO BE

MORE SUSTAINABLE

&

LESS WASTEFUL

Without COMPROMISING

CONVENIENCE

Uncovering User Needs

User interviews with Stanford students fitting our target user description, as well as conversations with industry professionals in the sustainability sector, revealed the top three pain points our product must address:

MAXIMIZING
USAGE

“I recently realized that when you get to the end of a lipstick, there’s still a lot of product left in the tube”

CONVENIENCE
‍

“I usually buy drugstore makeup because it’s cheaper and I go for stick form products since they last longer”

VERSATILITY
‍

“I like to use my lipstick as blush as well...I like the color and how it applies”

Market Research

A comprehensive investigation into similar existing brands, products, and mechanisms to the Maia stick was essential for understanding our competitors, how they address our users' unmet needs, and how we can differentiate ourselves and stand out.

PRODUCT REALIZATION

IDEATION

Our user research led to MAIA's vision of a refillable makeup system that eliminates single-use plastics and is based on the principles of reusability, durability, and continuity. Modularity and simplicity are at the core of MAIA's design and user experience.

MORE IDEATION

We physically examined various twisting mechanisms to learn more about and determine MAIA's industrial design specifications and main mechanism. We considered material science, manufacturing, and shipping, all while staying committed to our ethos of sustainability and avoiding plastic.

The main challenge was finding a mechanism that was not overly complex or expensive, without resorting to plastic or even recycled plastics.

PROTOTYPING

After finalizing the main mechanism, we used Fusion 360 to create various renderings of how MAIA's outer shell would appear and feel to the user.

We eventually landed on the square design for its simplicity and modularity.

& TESTING

We continued to perfect our industrial design through multiple iterations of 3D printing and CAD tweaking, In addition to conducting user tests and using that feedback to inform our process.

BRAND IDENTITY

COLOR PALETTE

Maia's brand colors reflect its mission while conveying a youthful and playful attitude:

  • Blue symbolizes reliability and stability, representing Maia's longevity.
  • Pink conveys romantic energy and tranquillity.
  • Green demonstrates our dedication to sustainability and regeneration.

MOODBOARD

MARKETING POSTER

PRODUCT AESTHETIC

The simple rectangular shape of the mAIA stick echoes the brand’s commitment to durable, yet simple sustainability. Similarly, MAIA’s packaging strips itself of all empty embellishments that only contribute to the piles of makeup waste.

‍

It’s meant to foreshadow the experience it offers: premium simplicity & straight-forward transparency.

Final Video

I scripted and edited a video pitch and summary of the work