Carla Palette reclaims the power of pink in her loud and proud visual world for condom brand SNUG

SNUG – a conceptual brand dreamed up by designer Carla Palette – is everything that every other condom brand isn’t. The brand makes it its mission to challenge the status quo in an industry dominated by generic fits, masculine stereotypes, and outdated narratives around intimacy. Designed for “the girls and the gays,” SNUG champions “living large – in every sense of the word,” says Palette, who crafted both the concept for the brand and its identity. “It flips the narrative on objectification, leveraging the same bold gaze historically placed on women and femme-presenting individuals, turning it into a tool for empowerment, confidence, and cheeky repartee. SNUG’s story isn’t just about condoms; it’s about creating a brand that sparks conversations, dismantles stereotypes, and serves pleasure with a side of politics.” For a brand that makes “snug fits for big packages,” SNUG’s own graphic voice had to be big too, unafraid to take up space, and Palette understood this. In response, she crafted a typographic visual language that’s impossible to miss on the shelf. The big, bold type is loaded with meaning. “In an industry where the conversation around sexual health and pleasure has often been muted, sanitised, or tiptoed around, SNUG refuses to follow suit. The typography mirrors the brand’s unapologetic attitude – strong, assertive, and impossible to ignore,” Palette tells us. For the wordmark, she used a combination of Big Sexy Sans and Thunder, “two incredibly bold, unapologetic typefaces, each bringing its own distinct personality while complementing the other seamlessly,” Palette adds. To ensure they worked together perfectly, the letterforms were carefully customised and refined to mirror each other’s qualities, creating the illusion of a single, unified typeface. Palette also added an extra layer of roundedness to every letterform, softening the inherent heaviness of the bold characters. “This subtle refinement brings warmth and approachability to the otherwise punchy wordmark, ensuring it doesn’t feel overly aggressive or intimidating.”