A.D.B. reflect the imperfections and humanity of HEJ Organics in their hand-rendered identity

Looking to help shape the industry by making natural cosmetics a more attractive proposition, HEJ Organics offer a natural and sustainable product line founded on pollutant and nasty-chemical free skincare. In need of an identity to reflect their forward-thinking attitude and organic underpinning, HEJ turned to Dortmund-based design studio A.D.B., resulting in an expressive, imperfect and fundamentally human brand. Led by a hand-rendered scripture for the wordmark and secondary text, designed bespoke by A.D.B. for the identity, HEJ Organics’ visual language is proudly typographic, opting for URW Type Foundry’s Classico as the supporting typeface. “We wanted a typeface that has a very natural look,” Art Director Marius Burgmann tells us, captivated by the humanist typeface’s subtly implied serifs and organic-esque architecture. “At the same time, it has a very classy look that represents the beauty aspect of cosmetics,” Burgmann explains. “However, it is actually sans serif, which is why it goes so well with all handwritten fonts,” he adds, noting the success of its legibility within the identity’s stark typography execution. Poetic in their material choices, A.D.B. sought texture and colour from the packaging’s physical qualities while opting for a simple colour palette that best represents the brand’s intentions. “The colour palette is matched to the different product lines,” Burgmann contextualises, with the dark bottle colour of each product contrasted with a signature hue that relates to the latter’s key ingredient or gesture. “Green stands for cactus, cream white is for sensitive skin,” Burgmann concludes, “which also refers to the ingredient oat extract.”