Studio South 91 Bowie

Finalist
Credits
  • Pou Auaha / Creative Director
    Sam Southwell
  • Pou Rautaki / Strategic Lead
    Anna Southwell
  • Ngā Kaimahi / Team Members
    Erin Joyce, Mihi Mihitana, Maisie Macdonald
  • Kaitautoko / Contributors
    Clara Jane-Follas, Oscar Fernandez
  • Client
    Bowie Life Limited
Description:

Bowie is a microneedling skincare brand built on the power of transformation. Their tools, treatments, and ointments are designed to boost real skin health—fast. In the South Pacific market, a clear gap existed: no microneedling brand felt fresh, exciting, or e-commerce-ready.

The biggest hurdle? Tackling the stigma around needling your face. Bowie flipped the script with a fun, educational, and confidence-boosting brand experience that appealed to millennials, skincare newbies, and even seasoned beauty lovers.

The creative strategy was anchored in two themes: transformation and contrast. These ideas drove both the visual identity and tone of voice. Typography was a careful collision of soft, jelly-like forms paired with precise, needle-inspired serifs, mirroring the balance of playfulness and performance.

At the heart of the identity is an abstract butterfly logo – a bold symbol of change. Surrounding it, bubbly brand treatments and friendly shapes evoke the feeling of plump, healthy skin, inviting users to take part.

We wanted to create a unique brand colour for instant recognition and warmth. Typography conveys a bubbly, approachable personality, while unique icons and illustrations help explain the microneedling process in a digestible way.

From packaging to digital ads, every design detail was crafted to add delight, from education to unboxing and beyond. The system is flexible, tested, and proven across e-commerce, print, and social channels.

Bowie earned instant credibility in a category crowded with clichés. It connects daughters and mums through shared skincare rituals, while offering a product that’s built to last, designed for the bathroom, not the bin. Where competitors lean disposable, Bowie champions sustainability and smart design.

Bowie now turns over $125,000 per month. Our quirky, plump-toned messaging landed in the right places, encouraging word-of-mouth and turbocharging social media impact.