FREDERIK SMAL Back to independent work
Independent project · Brand & packaging

Malinna: building a brand from nothing

Logo, visual identity and packaging system for a family-owned natural cosmetics brand, designed from the ground up, years before it became a real, operating company.

Type
Independent / freelance
Role
Brand identity, packaging design
Industry
Natural cosmetics
Focus
Logo, packaging system, production assets
01

Starting from nothing

Malinna's founders make natural cosmetic oil products for a family-owned business, and needed a brand that didn't exist yet. Not a refresh, not a rebrand: a logo, a visual identity and a packaging system built from zero.

Decision

Design for calm, not decoration.

Why

The products are the story. The identity needed to support that without competing for attention: quiet typography and one small pattern element, not a loud logo.

Malinna shopping bag by Frederik Smal

The same pattern element that appears on every product label, carried through to the shopping bag.

02

What I did

I designed the logotype and the core visual identity: typography, proportions and the basic rules that keep everything consistent as the product range grows.

From there, the packaging system: labels and boxes with a consistent hierarchy across scents and formats, plus a minimal pattern element that adds recognisability without adding clutter.

Every asset was prepared production-ready, for print and for digital use.

Skills this shows

Brand identityLogo designPackaging designArt direction

The wordmark, packaging box and bottle. One system across formats. Click to enlarge.

03

Outcome

A clean, cohesive brand and packaging system that feels natural and premium, and scales across products and formats.

This identity shipped years before Malinna became the real, operating company it is today.

Have something worth building?

I'm interested in senior product, product design and hybrid leadership roles.

Get in touch