BRANDING
Sprezzatura
Cosmetics
The idea behind this brand stems from my personal love of cosmetics. I’ve always wanted to have a brand with an emphasis on gothic and magical wiccan type themes. The yin-yang cats are a symbol of light and dark and how there is a little bit of both in all of us. The Italian word “Sprezzatura” does not have a direct English translation; the best way to describe the word is “A charm that someone has that causes heads to turn when they enter a room.” The french say, “Je ne sais quoi.” I felt as though this name would be a fantastic name for a cosmetics brand, because people wear makeup for confidence, to be noticed, have fun or to express themselves.
Caramello
Non-Dairy Caffè
During the time I made up this brand, I was a vegetarian and struggling with lactose intolerance. I also really enjoy coffee and there are not many mom and pop shops around where I live who offer a good cup of coffee with alternative milks. So when I was tasked to make up a restaurant or business, I chose to do a cozy little non-dairy Italian caffè. I wanted the branding to be warm, cozy and welcoming, but also dainty. A lot of products, I imagined being made of recyclable papers. Who doesn’t like the thought of an environmentally friendly, health conscious, vegan friendly restaurant with alternative milk options?
Rebrand
One idea I hatched back in university was, how could Life Alert be useful to younger individuals, as well as older ones? Life Alert has always been seen as a joke to younger generations for their approach at advertising. But what if that could be changed? My approach was to market to women, and young adults in general, who feel unsafe when walking and traveling around at night alone. The idea was to take a shocking angle, as if the person in need of the device feels watched. Unfortunately, this is a real issue the world has and if there was a device that could alert authorities of the danger you are experiencing, then why not?
Ⓒ Barbara Kitchens 2025