Evolving a Brand: Of Names and Nuance

Designing and producing Aroma Art soap is largely a solitary pursuit, so to share the unicorn rainbow farts-inducing creative magic, I'll sometimes offer a soap-naming contest through Courageous Soap's FaceBook and IG pages. The banter and brainstorming with friends and fans is like, hell yeah. Plus - whoa -  who can resist the honor of naming a soap (and maybe winning a bar)?

But while my latest soap-naming competition yielded clever suggestions,  I realized that they didn't fit my actual brand. I don't fault my wonderful soap naming participants for this oversight - frankly, brand evolution sneaks up on me, too. But in the interest of helping you win a bar of my Aroma Art Soap in the future, consider the following::

 
First, with an art and body/mind therapy background, I pay special attention to ALL design and experiential elements of my products. This goes beyond using "natural ingredients" - for the record, almost all soap makers start for that reason alone (or b/c they fantasize of opening a bath/body shop). The former you just DO, the latter has never interested me.

No, what I'm going for is how inspired do you feel when you experience a bar of my Aroma Art Soap? Not just scent and feel, but what's your experience when you look at the design choices, including the oils/essential oils/colors/messages? Is the name relatable? Inspiring? And/or just hugely clever and maybe a bit saucy (though not mean-spirited)?

Most of us shower first in the morning - wouldn't you feel differently grabbing a bar of BADASS QUEEN or Incorrigible Flora vs a bar of generic soap? Morning cleansing is a perfect opportunity for pattern disrupting - getting out of the habitual, often negative thoughts swirling in your head to remind yourself: I AM a BADASS (or I'm Incorrigible, BWAHAHAHAHA)!" Oh yes.

I view my products as more than merely natural soap or solid lotion - I see them as personal pieces of art that cost less than the price of last week's latte habit, plus lasts far longer. (No calories, either - just saying).

So what did the name of the pictured soap end up being? Check it out here. And please join us for a future soap naming contest - you just might be the winner.

- SL