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Soapwalla Website

CLIENT
Soapwalla
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Background + Challenge

Soapwalla crafts natural, vegan, skincare products for ALL humans. They were one of the first of a new wave of natural skincare brands to hit the market, and they remain one of the few still standing, still independent, and still thriving. As they approached their 10th anniversary, they felt it was time for a brand and website refresh. In celebrating this milestone, they wanted to double down on their core principles which fall into four buckets: natural products, inclusivity, eco-consciousness, and activism.

 

They asked us to help them more strongly communicate their unique position in the natural, vegan skincare market, a market that has grown exponentially in the decade since they began. With many companies jumping on the natural skincare bandwagon with varying credentials and degrees of authenticity, they needed to differentiate themselves as the real deal in this space, with messaging that is clean, clear, trustworthy, and inclusive, reflecting the company’s values, particularly their sensitivity to the LBGTQ community and to those with specific skin issues that are often not addressed by other skincare brands.

 

They also asked us to address some technical and design concerns with their current website, which did not allow them the flexibility they desired and was frustrating for their customers. They wanted to streamline, simplify, and improve the user experience.

Services
Services
Services Provided
Brand Identity Design
Brand Voice Discovery
Copywriting
Front End Development
Illustration
Key Messaging
Photo Art Direction
Website Design + Development
Visit the website at www.soapwalla.com
Approach

Coming to us with just a tweaked logo and recently redesigned packaging, we essentially had a clean slate and the opportunity to rethink the entire website to make it more user friendly and to communicate the company’s multi-pronged messaging clearly.

We knew that the four brand pillars—products, inclusivity, eco-consciousness, and activism—were almost of equal importance and had to be deftly woven together to support the overarching brand story without getting confusing.

We used key messaging in text, photography, and illustrations, plus a toolbox of other visual elements—a light, clean aesthetic, a vibrant color palette, bold typography, authentic photography, colorful ingredient illustrations—to tie the brand together.

We were fortunate that the company founder was extremely hands on, working with us as we crafted the messaging and planned the site architecture. After thorough research on competitive brands, we spent time honing the messaging on the products, the ingredients, the company values, the founder’s story, and the brand voice. This gave us the building blocks with which to construct the site.

mood board for soapwalla website

As we proceeded, we identified opportunities to improve the website functionality and create an intuitive user experience, making the site more engaging and the navigation smoother, with more cross-selling and upselling opportunities. In art directing the photography, we focused on the craft that goes into making the products and the personality of the brand.

soapwalla website icon row on desktop
soapwalla website ingredients icons
soapwalla website pages in mobile device view

“The Owls Head team was a dream to work with. Websites are our storefronts, our business cards, our company mottos. They are often the first impression of a business. It’s the intangibles (and sometimes, indescribable) that really set sites apart. Working with Owls Head to craft my ideal website was shockingly easy—Kate and her team got my messaging, they listened to my concerns and responded quickly to directional changes, and created a working platform that is also a piece of art. I’d work with Owls Head again in a heartbeat.”

—Rachel Winard, Founder
Impact

The site launched in June, 2020. The Soapwalla team is thrilled with how the site looks and its improved functionality, commenting on the clean, airy look and elegance of the design, and praising the improved navigation for the customer. They feel that we have really nailed the voice, the personality, and their differentiating messaging.

Filed Under: Case Study, Featured