Curla

Beverley Howes trained as a cosmetologist and worked as a hairdresser for 17 years before spending 20 years managing domestic abuse services. Her own fine afro hair broke easily, so after embracing her natural hair in 2015 she spent two years sleeping in shower caps with slits cut into them, then began sourcing and testing breathable fabrics that keep moisture in afro hair. That work became a head covering she wanted to sell to people with afro and curly hair, with haircare products to follow and part of every purchase going towards pampering days and mental health support for the people who need it most.

When she came to us in spring 2022, the business was called Pure Serenity in Hair and lived in a business plan. It needed a name that could carry a whole range, a brand that felt joyful rather than clinical, and the materials to take it to customers and investors.

We started with a Brandscape workshop to agree who the brand was for and how it should sound. Two audiences came out of it: a busy working mum who just wants something that works, and a younger curly-haired man who worries about looking like he cares too much. The promise was simple: confidence, happiness and good hair days, through products, advice and a community that help afro and curly hair retain moisture. For the tone, we took our cue from Oprah Winfrey: warm, strong and happy to mix business with giving back.

Then came the name. We tested twelve candidates, from HappyCurly and Fralala to Marea and Eauvie, checking each for domains, social handles and trademark conflicts. Curla won because it is bold and simple like Curl, but easier to defend and a little more playful. The identity went through three BrandStorm rounds: fifteen first-round routes in three groups, three of them developed further, and a final round that took the bold, bright, joyful direction Beverley loved and turned it into a logo where the word curla becomes the hair above a woman’s profile.

By July 2022 Beverley had a full set of brand guidelines: logo lockups and usage rules, a type system pairing the retro display face OhNo Blazeface with PT Serif, a palette led by violet, yellow, orange and mint, and patterns drawn from the shapes of different hair types. Lines like “wetter is better”, “slip into feeling good” and “go with the fro” gave the brand a voice people could repeat.

We then rolled it out into the pieces a launch needs. We designed a holding page with an animated logo and a homepage built around curl types, with a “Join the Curla crew” sign-up, along with business cards, email signatures, stickers, a deck template and merchandise such as tote bags.

Packaging had to feel like a gift. Working from a board of unboxing ideas, such as using the inside flaps for how-to tips and empowering quotes, we designed a care package: a violet box wrapped in the brand’s waves that opens on a “We are Curla” card and holds three jars and a branded cylinder. Alongside it we designed packaging concepts for the haircare range Beverley planned to follow, from a curl defining cream to a detangle and slip shampoo.

Beverley took the brand into fundraising with an investor deck we worked on together. It names Outfly as Curla’s brand and messaging partner and sets out a plan to launch the head coverings first, followed by pampering boxes and the haircare range.