Aesop is an Australian brand that specialises in producing the finest skin, hair and body products. Aesop utilises an interesting packaging design that successfully conveys the brands values and gives customers an insight into what the brand is all about. Firstly, The Aesop logo is kept very neat and tidy. The logo consists only of the word 'Aesop' written with a clean sans serif font in black. The letter '
ē' in the logo is written with what is known as a Macron. This is presumably used to effect the pronunciation of the word by adding a lengthier sound to the vowel. The logo is used on all of Aesop's products and they're packaging.
Most of Aesop's products are liquids and are contained in small brown bottles. The labels on these bottles are quite unusual and much like the Aesop logo are also kept very plain. Popular products like Aesop's 'Parsley Seed' come in a brown bottle with a screw on lid. There is a relatively small white label attached to about half of the bottle with only the name of the product, the ingredients and the directions for use printed on with black ink. Some products like Aesop's fragrance 'Tacit' come packaged with an added cardboard box with a similar design to the labels but most products are sold in the bottle alone.
Aesop products are sold in Aesop shops located in countries all around the world. Aesop stores are unlike all others and utilise a very unusual design theme to display their products. All Aesop stores have a unique design that is based off of modern arts and sophisticated architecture which is typically derived from the region in which the store is located. Some Aesop stores are dominated by complex wooden patterns whilst others are heavily tiled and have a much plainer appearance. The designs of these stores do have a few key similarities. The products are always displayed neatly in shelving surrounding the store that begins at knee height and extends to just above eye level. The rest of the store is kept relatively clean and usually only consists of benches with inbuilt sinks for customers trying and testing products. The colour themes for these stores ranges from white and lighter colours to darker colours like brown or black.
The whole Aesop concept is certainly an effective reflection of the Aesop brand. The plain packaging, although somewhat boring is useful in demonstrating that the brands objective is focused more towards the quality of the product, not so much the packaging. A neat design theme is common with upmarket, contemporary products as simplicity is now often seen as being appealing. Unlike many other companies producing body products, Aesop does not rely on imagery or fancy texts to sell their products. Aesop pride themselves on making products that use only the finest of ingredients and are of the highest quality.
With the amount of success the company has had and awards they have won, the products really do speak for themselves. The extravagant lengths that Aesop go through to create unique designs for each of their stores once again gives the impression of quality. The use of timber, tiles and an excellent taste for modern art gives customers the impression that Aesop are a serious brand that manufacture and produce a top quality product.
