Aloof brands Swell hair care range

The start-up brand was founded by natural skincare range Barefoot Botanicals founder Jonathan Stallick and hairdresser Andrew Bidwell. Aloof was appointed to the project last summer, and tasked with presenting a strategic plan for the brand.

Aloof advised changing the name to Swell from its original title, Good Head. Sam Aloof, Aloof creative director, says, ‘Although we loved that name we did some market research and felt that for a lot of customers, it might be a bit tricky to ask for, but Swell is still a bit tongue-in-cheek and naughty.’

The Swell logo uses the negative space between the two ‘l’s to create an icon that resembles a hair follicle root, while the label gap is deliberately positioned at the front of the bottle to create the same effect.

Aloof says, ‘It was really important to show that the product actually worked, and it wasn’t just style over substance, so it needed to look slightly scientific but also natural, though not in a clichéd way. It also had to look stylish so that it was slick and professional enough for salons.’

Swell is currently retailing online, and is being rolled out into salons nationwide and organic supermarkets. Following the initial range of three products and a miniature gift-set, Aloof will work on further packaging for products set to launch this summer.