Art Direction, Photography, Print and Digital Design

The Cos Bar Beauty Awards is a prestigious event celebrating excellence in the beauty industry. Each year, Cos Bar, renowned for its curated selection of luxury beauty products, honors standout items across various categories such as skincare, makeup, fragrance, and haircare. The awards highlight the most innovative and high-performing products, chosen by a panel of experts and beauty enthusiasts. Winning a Cos Bar Beauty Award signifies a mark of quality and prestige, making it a highly anticipated event for brands and consumers alike. This recognition not only boosts the visibility of the winning products but also guides beauty aficionados in selecting the best items in the market.

Creating the visual direction for Cos Bar's Beauty Awards required a deep understanding of the brand's aesthetic and the need to highlight its luxurious and sophisticated image. The direction was centered around the brand's signature colors, with a strong emphasis on pink to create a vibrant and cohesive look. This choice not only aligned with Cos Bar’s established identity but also brought a fresh and modern touch to the awards campaign. The use of pink as the primary background color in photography sessions ensured a consistent and eye-catching visual theme that instantly drew attention to the award-winning beauty products.

Photography played a crucial role in this visual direction. The simplicity of the pink background allowed the products to stand out, while high-contrast lighting techniques were employed to enhance the textures and details of each beauty item. This approach ensured that every product was showcased in its best light, literally and figuratively, highlighting their unique features and the quality that earned them a place among the winners. The clean and minimal backdrop prevented any distractions, allowing the audience to focus solely on the beauty and excellence of the featured products.

Typography was another key element in the visual direction. The brand’s serif font was utilized for the logo lockup, reinforcing the elegance and timeless nature of Cos Bar’s identity. For the main copy, a sans-serif font was chosen to ensure readability and a contemporary feel, creating a perfect balance between classic and modern elements. This combination of fonts helped to maintain brand consistency while making the content accessible and engaging.

This visual direction was implemented across both print and digital platforms, ensuring a unified campaign throughout the full month of August. In print, it appeared in posters, register signs and shelf talkers in all stores across the US. Digitally, the direction was adapted for social media, emails and the Cos Bar website, reaching a wider audience and creating a cohesive brand experience online. This comprehensive approach not only reinforced the brand’s image but also celebrated the beauty awards in a way that was visually stunning and aligned with Cos Bar’s reputation for excellence.

Location: Los Angeles, California
Art Direction, Photography and Design: Stephanie Schiller