Ryan Mc Sorley Skin by Chanel- 01.19.10
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Ryan Mc Sorley just sent over some images of his product design final project at Central Saint Martins - Skin by Chanel. While at first glance it seems bizarre and perhaps even more low tech on the surface than you’d expect for a “future tech” post… it really sparked some playful conversations on where skincare may take us in the future. But first, here’s his concept! It plays with the idea of skincare and branding ~ looking at the skincare market and how far people go to primp their skin, “Just as we can define ourselves through the brands of clothing we wear, or the brand of mobile phone we have, we can now define ourselves by the brand of skincare product we use. If you are using skincare by Chanel, you want people to know that your skin is by Chanel, in the same way that Chanel handbags have clear branding, why shouldn’t our skin.” In his design, in addition to your cleanser, toner, lotion, you can also leave a logo impression on your skin! Yes, the type that appears when you sit in short shorts on a rattan chair for example. It fades in a few hours, but you look pretty silly until then.
While i can’t say i buy in to the logic, nor do i love overly branded goods, it did get me thinking about the future of branding and technology. Imagine if the lotion itself had the ability to create those branded impressions. Or if the samples created a brand on your cheek… unlocking the full version gave you the full experience brand free? Much like software? Or what if tattoos came in creme form? Or imagine if you are what you eat, and small symbols appeared on the skin of your wrist showing what you are made of ~ fun motivation to get some eating healthier? So many random ideas keep popping up… see more picture of Ryan Mc Sorley’s Skin by Chanel project on the next page!
Here’s Ryan’s description of the project:
SKIN BY CHANEL
The skincare market is growing year after year. We see more and more skincare procedures, products and brands becoming available to us, and we are under constant pressure to look younger than we are. Where does it stop? And what does the future look like for skin?
Bernadette Wegenstein, in her book Getting under the Skin: Body and Media Theory, puts it like this, ‘In cosmetics, just as in the figurative arts, the skin has become a detached commodity. Marketers think about it in absolute, abstract and detached terms.’ Our own skin has become a material ans surface which is open to creative reworking.
As with mass-produced commodity products, skin is a means for individual expression- we want to be different and set ourselves apart from the masses. Just as we can define ourselves through the brands of clothing we wear, or the brand of mobile phone we have, we can now define ourselves by the brand of skincare product we use. If you are using skincare by Chanel, you want people to know that your skin is by Chanel, in the same way that Chanel handbags have clear branding, why shouldn’t our skin.
Considering this idea of branding skin, I have designed a beauty kit for Chanel. I chose Chanel due to it’s strong logo and brand history, and the fact that it is a high end brand. The packaging is manufactured in Corian, giving a smooth finish, and the organic and pebble like form is intended to reflect our obsession with perfection, especially when it comes to our faces. The kit is used at night before sleeping and includes a Cleanser, Toner and Moisturiser. There is also a headband in the kit, which is tied around the head and worn while sleeping. There is a silicone ‘Chanel logo’ on the underside of the headband which during the night leaves an imprint of the Chanel logo on the skin, which is visible for a few hours. People can then clearly see that the owner uses Chanel Skincare and not some other brand. Their skin has been branded Chanel… the ultimate fashion accessory you might say!?
You can probably do anything you like with clothes. But there is only so much you could do with skin and appearance. I do not believe in pushing the limits in that end.
----- jullie 24.06.11 12:31