Images from the packaging case study by Aruliden

Merit

polished gold bullets and quiet spaced capitals

Merit builds every pack from a small set of plain straight-walled cylinders finished in one of three surfaces: mirror-polished gold (#c9a25a), gloss black or soft porcelain cream. The only decoration is a small wordmark in widely tracked capitals with tiny serifs, usually running vertically up the side of the component, so the material itself does the talking. Skincare keeps the same tall polished gold caps but moves to frosted glass where the amber-brown formula shows through, adding an italic serif product name, a bold tracked format line and its French translation in italic as the one softer note. Shades are shown only by the product itself: a bronze dome, a pink blush, a red bullet.

https://meritbeauty.com Explore the brand

Make-up
Light pack
Luxe monochrome
Clinical minimal

Color Palette

Approximate colours interpreted from photography. These are screen references, not official brand colours or print specifications.

Pack body

Mirror Gold
#c9a25a
Polished metallic finish on lipstick cases, the stick sleeve, blush base, mascara wand cap and every skincare cap
Piano Black
#111010
Gloss black mascara tube and complexion tube bodies
Porcelain Cream
#efeae0
Soft cream stick bodies and their caps on highlighter and bronzer sticks
Frosted Flint
#e9e6e1
Frosted glass upper portion of serum and cleanser bottles

Ink

Engraved Gold
#b8975e
Wordmark printed in gold on black, cream and frosted components
Ivory Print
#f4efe6
Light product name and descriptor printed over the dark formula on skincare

Accent

Formula Umber
#6e3a26
Amber-brown liquid visible through frosted glass, acting as the skincare body colour
Silver Cap
#c4c6c8
Polished silver cap on the complexion tube, the one non-gold metal

Range coding

Shade Bullet
#a8332f
The product itself (lipstick bullet, blush dome, bronze balm) is the only colour coding

Typography

Suggested visual alternatives, not confirmed brand typefaces. Any scale below is an illustrative estimate.

The wordmark is the only element on most makeup, set small and tracked wide, reading vertically along the component. Skincare adds a short italic serif product name, a tiny bold tracked format line in English and an italic French line beneath it, all centred over the visible formula.

Type scale

Estimated cap size as a share of the panel · Front of the 30 ml frosted serum bottle body, about 70 mm tall excluding cap

vertical-wordmark
6% · Regular · Label
VALOR
compact-wordmark
6% · Regular · Label
VALOR
bottle-wordmark
5% · Regular · Label
VALOR
product-name
4.5% · Bold Italic · Headline
Clear Day
format-line
2% · SemiBold · Body
DAILY GLOW SERUM
french-line
2% · Italic · Headline
Sérum Éclat Quotidien

Fonts

Label
Cinzel
Looks like
Copperplate Gothic, custom wide capitals with hairline serifs
Type
Wide classical capitals with tiny serifs, very open tracking
Weight
Regular
Case
Uppercase
Tracking
Very wide, about +30%
Fallback
Copperplate, Optima, serif
The wordmark only: vertical on cylinders, horizontal on compacts and across the frosted shoulder of bottles.
Headline
Libre Caslon Text
Looks like
Caslon Italic
Type
Transitional serif italic
Weight
Italic, Bold Italic
Case
Title case
Tracking
Normal
Fallback
Georgia Italic, Times Italic
Skincare product names ('Great Skin') and the French translation line.
Body
Montserrat
Looks like
Futura Medium, Neue Haas Unica
Type
Small geometric sans, bold tracked capitals
Weight
SemiBold
Case
Uppercase
Tracking
Wide, about +12%
Fallback
Futura, Helvetica
English format line under the product name and the volume at the base.

Structure & Proportions

Proportions

Purpose	Value	Preview
Wordmark length on cylinders	About 30% of component height, running vertically
Wordmark position	Lower half of the component, centred on the front face	—
Empty surface	About 90% of every makeup component is unprinted material
Skincare cap height	About 40% of total bottle height
Formula fill line	Amber formula fills the lower 65% of the frosted bottle
Colours per component	One or two surfaces plus a single print colour	—
Density	Near empty: one small word on a large polished surface	—

Shapes

Element	Value	Preview
Lipstick and stick cases	Straight-walled cylinder with a flush cap
Blush and bronzer	Dome rising out of a short gold cylinder
Skincare cap	Tall polished gold cylinder cap
Serum bottle	Straight frosted glass bottle with dropper
Cleanser	Frosted bottle with pump under a gold overcap

Finishes

Mirror-polished gold
Lipstick, stick sleeves, compact bases and skincare caps · metallic
Piano gloss black
Mascara and complexion tubes · gloss
Soft matte cream
Stick bodies and caps · matte
Acid-etched glass
Serum and cleanser bottles · frosted

Formats and materials


Formats	Lipstick bullet, Twist-up stick, Mascara and wand, Domed balm compact, Dropper serum bottle, Pump cleanser bottle, Tube
Materials	Metallised plastic, Gloss plastic, Frosted glass
Closures	Straight-walled cylinder caps that slide on flush; tall polished gold caps on skincare bottles; a silver cap on the complexion tube
Decoration	Single-colour printed wordmark, Vertical wordmark placement, Material contrast between gold and black or cream

Front Panel

Schematic reading order. The diagram’s zone heights do not represent measured artwork proportions.

No label: decoration is printed directly onto the component in one colour, with generous empty surface around a small wordmark.

Zone	Content
Vertical side	Wordmark running up the cylinder on sticks, tubes and mascaras
Bottle upper band	Horizontal wordmark printed over the frosted glass on skincare
Bottle lower half	Italic serif product name, bold format line and French italic line printed over the visible formula

Range System

Material, not colour, separates lines: gold for colour cosmetics, black for mascara and complexion tools, cream for balms and sticks, frosted glass for skincare. Shades are shown only by the product inside or the dome on top.

Lipstick = all-gold bullet
Mascara = gloss black tube with gold wand cap
Stick balm = cream body with coloured dome
Blush balm = pink dome on a short gold base
Great Skin = frosted bottle, gold cap, amber formula

Back of Pack & Shelf

Components carry almost nothing on the back; the outer carton repeats the surface colour with the wordmark and puts directions, INCI and legal copy in small tracked capitals on the reverse.

Shade name and batch on a small base sticker
Full INCI ingredient list on the carton reverse
Directions for use in English and French
Barcode on the carton base
Period-after-opening symbol, recycling and distributor address

On shelf

Grouped together the range reads as a small set of gold, black and cream cylinders with the same tiny vertical wordmark, so the brand billboards through material and restraint rather than colour.

Imagery

None on pack; the only visual interest is reflection on polished gold and the product colour showing through glass or on top of a stick.

Guidelines

Do

Limit every component to Mirror Gold (#c9a25a), Piano Black (#111010) or Porcelain Cream (#efeae0).
Set the wordmark in the widely tracked Label capitals and run it vertically up cylinders at about 30% of their height.
Print the wordmark in a single contrasting colour: Engraved Gold on black or cream, ivory on gold.
Let the product be the colour: a pink dome, a red bullet, an amber serum through frosted glass.
Use tall polished gold caps (about 40% of bottle height) on skincare to tie it back to the makeup.
Reserve the italic Headline serif for skincare product names and the French line only.

Don't

Don't add pattern, illustration or a printed label wrap.
Don't introduce bright brand colours on the pack body.
Don't set the wordmark large or bold; it should feel engraved and quiet.
Don't mix more than two surfaces on one component.
Don't use transparent clear glass; skincare glass is frosted.
Don't print anything on makeup beyond the wordmark.

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More like this

# Merit — Pack Style > polished gold bullets and quiet spaced capitals **Category:** Beauty · **Tier:** Premium · **Origin:** US · **Theme:** light **Source:** https://meritbeauty.com Colours are estimated from product photography (screen values, not print specifications). Proportions and type scales are visual estimates, not measured manufacturing dimensions. Typefaces are lookalikes, not identified fonts. Merit builds every pack from a small set of plain straight-walled cylinders finished in one of three surfaces: mirror-polished gold (#c9a25a), gloss black or soft porcelain cream. The only decoration is a small wordmark in widely tracked capitals with tiny serifs, usually running vertically up the side of the component, so the material itself does the talking. Skincare keeps the same tall polished gold caps but moves to frosted glass where the amber-brown formula shows through, adding an italic serif product name, a bold tracked format line and its French translation in italic as the one softer note. Shades are shown only by the product itself: a bronze dome, a pink blush, a red bullet. ## Tokens — Colors | Name | Value | Token | Group | Role | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mirror Gold | `#c9a25a` | `--color-mirror-gold` | Pack body | Polished metallic finish on lipstick cases, the stick sleeve, blush base, mascara wand cap and every skincare cap | | Piano Black | `#111010` | `--color-piano-black` | Pack body | Gloss black mascara tube and complexion tube bodies | | Porcelain Cream | `#efeae0` | `--color-porcelain-cream` | Pack body | Soft cream stick bodies and their caps on highlighter and bronzer sticks | | Frosted Flint | `#e9e6e1` | `--color-frosted-flint` | Pack body | Frosted glass upper portion of serum and cleanser bottles | | Engraved Gold | `#b8975e` | `--color-engraved-gold` | Ink | Wordmark printed in gold on black, cream and frosted components | | Ivory Print | `#f4efe6` | `--color-ivory-print` | Ink | Light product name and descriptor printed over the dark formula on skincare | | Formula Umber | `#6e3a26` | `--color-formula-umber` | Accent | Amber-brown liquid visible through frosted glass, acting as the skincare body colour | | Silver Cap | `#c4c6c8` | `--color-silver-cap` | Accent | Polished silver cap on the complexion tube, the one non-gold metal | | Shade Bullet | `#a8332f` | `--color-shade-bullet` | Range coding | The product itself (lipstick bullet, blush dome, bronze balm) is the only colour coding | ## Tokens — Typography The wordmark is the only element on most makeup, set small and tracked wide, reading vertically along the component. Skincare adds a short italic serif product name, a tiny bold tracked format line in English and an italic French line beneath it, all centred over the visible formula. ### Label — Copperplate Gothic, custom wide capitals with hairline serifs · `--font-label` - **Classification:** Wide classical capitals with tiny serifs, very open tracking - **Free lookalike:** Cinzel (Google Fonts) - **Fallback:** Copperplate, Optima, serif - **Weights:** Regular - **Case:** Uppercase - **Tracking:** Very wide, about +30% - **Role:** The wordmark only: vertical on cylinders, horizontal on compacts and across the frosted shoulder of bottles. ### Headline — Caslon Italic · `--font-headline` - **Classification:** Transitional serif italic - **Free lookalike:** Libre Caslon Text (Google Fonts) - **Fallback:** Georgia Italic, Times Italic - **Weights:** Italic, Bold Italic - **Case:** Title case - **Tracking:** Normal - **Role:** Skincare product names ('Great Skin') and the French translation line. ### Body — Futura Medium, Neue Haas Unica · `--font-body` - **Classification:** Small geometric sans, bold tracked capitals - **Free lookalike:** Montserrat (Google Fonts) - **Fallback:** Futura, Helvetica - **Weights:** SemiBold - **Case:** Uppercase - **Tracking:** Wide, about +12% - **Role:** English format line under the product name and the volume at the base. ### Type Scale Sizes are cap height as a share of the reference panel: Front of the 30 ml frosted serum bottle body, about 70 mm tall excluding cap. | Role | Font | Weight | Size | Case | Token | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | vertical-wordmark | Label | Regular | 6% of panel height | Uppercase | `--text-vertical-wordmark` | | compact-wordmark | Label | Regular | 6% of panel height | Uppercase | `--text-compact-wordmark` | | bottle-wordmark | Label | Regular | 5% of panel height | Uppercase | `--text-bottle-wordmark` | | product-name | Headline | Bold Italic | 4.5% of panel height | Title case | `--text-product-name` | | format-line | Body | SemiBold | 2% of panel height | Uppercase | `--text-format-line` | | french-line | Headline | Italic | 2% of panel height | Title case | `--text-french-line` | | volume | Body | SemiBold | 1.3% of panel height | Uppercase | `--text-volume` | ## Structure & Materials - **Formats:** Lipstick bullet, Twist-up stick, Mascara and wand, Domed balm compact, Dropper serum bottle, Pump cleanser bottle, Tube - **Materials:** Metallised plastic, Gloss plastic, Frosted glass - **Closures:** Straight-walled cylinder caps that slide on flush; tall polished gold caps on skincare bottles; a silver cap on the complexion tube - **Decoration:** Single-colour printed wordmark, Vertical wordmark placement, Material contrast between gold and black or cream ### Proportions | Purpose | Value | | --- | --- | | Wordmark length on cylinders | About 30% of component height, running vertically | | Wordmark position | Lower half of the component, centred on the front face | | Empty surface | About 90% of every makeup component is unprinted material | | Skincare cap height | About 40% of total bottle height | | Formula fill line | Amber formula fills the lower 65% of the frosted bottle | | Colours per component | One or two surfaces plus a single print colour | | Density | Near empty: one small word on a large polished surface | ### Shapes | Element | Shape | | --- | --- | | Lipstick and stick cases | Straight-walled cylinder with a flush cap | | Blush and bronzer | Dome rising out of a short gold cylinder | | Skincare cap | Tall polished gold cylinder cap | | Serum bottle | Straight frosted glass bottle with dropper | | Cleanser | Frosted bottle with pump under a gold overcap | ### Finishes | Finish | Where | Look | | --- | --- | --- | | Mirror-polished gold | Lipstick, stick sleeves, compact bases and skincare caps | metallic | | Piano gloss black | Mascara and complexion tubes | gloss | | Soft matte cream | Stick bodies and caps | matte | | Acid-etched glass | Serum and cleanser bottles | frosted | ## Pack Elements ### Vertical wordmark **Role:** Brand block Widely tracked capitals about 30% of component height, running up the lower half in Engraved Gold (#b8975e) on black and cream or ivory on gold. ### Polished cylinder **Role:** Form signature Straight-walled Mirror Gold (#c9a25a) case with a flush cap and no other decoration. ### Product dome **Role:** Shade display The balm or blush formed as a dome rising out of the component, the only colour on makeup. ### Tall gold cap **Role:** Skincare link Polished gold cap about 40% of bottle height that ties skincare back to the makeup. ### Formula window **Role:** Skincare body colour Frosted glass with Formula Umber (#6e3a26) liquid filling the lower 65%, carrying the printed copy. ### Italic name block **Role:** Product identity Italic serif product name, a bold tracked format line and an italic French line, centred over the formula in ivory. ## Do's and Don'ts ### Do - Limit every component to Mirror Gold (#c9a25a), Piano Black (#111010) or Porcelain Cream (#efeae0). - Set the wordmark in the widely tracked Label capitals and run it vertically up cylinders at about 30% of their height. - Print the wordmark in a single contrasting colour: Engraved Gold on black or cream, ivory on gold. - Let the product be the colour: a pink dome, a red bullet, an amber serum through frosted glass. - Use tall polished gold caps (about 40% of bottle height) on skincare to tie it back to the makeup. - Reserve the italic Headline serif for skincare product names and the French line only. ### Don't - Don't add pattern, illustration or a printed label wrap. - Don't introduce bright brand colours on the pack body. - Don't set the wordmark large or bold; it should feel engraved and quiet. - Don't mix more than two surfaces on one component. - Don't use transparent clear glass; skincare glass is frosted. - Don't print anything on makeup beyond the wordmark. ## Surfaces | Level | Name | Value | Purpose | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 0 | Mirror Gold | `#c9a25a` | Primary component surface for colour cosmetics and caps | | 1 | Porcelain Cream | `#efeae0` | Secondary stick body | | 2 | Formula Umber | `#6e3a26` | Visible formula behind frosted glass, carrying skincare type | ## Front Panel Layout No label: decoration is printed directly onto the component in one colour, with generous empty surface around a small wordmark. | Zone | Content | | --- | --- | | Vertical side | Wordmark running up the cylinder on sticks, tubes and mascaras | | Bottle upper band | Horizontal wordmark printed over the frosted glass on skincare | | Bottle lower half | Italic serif product name, bold format line and French italic line printed over the visible formula | ## Range System Material, not colour, separates lines: gold for colour cosmetics, black for mascara and complexion tools, cream for balms and sticks, frosted glass for skincare. Shades are shown only by the product inside or the dome on top. - Lipstick = all-gold bullet - Mascara = gloss black tube with gold wand cap - Stick balm = cream body with coloured dome - Blush balm = pink dome on a short gold base - Great Skin = frosted bottle, gold cap, amber formula ## Back of Pack Components carry almost nothing on the back; the outer carton repeats the surface colour with the wordmark and puts directions, INCI and legal copy in small tracked capitals on the reverse. - Shade name and batch on a small base sticker - Full INCI ingredient list on the carton reverse - Directions for use in English and French - Barcode on the carton base - Period-after-opening symbol, recycling and distributor address ## Imagery None on pack; the only visual interest is reflection on polished gold and the product colour showing through glass or on top of a stick. ## On Shelf Grouped together the range reads as a small set of gold, black and cream cylinders with the same tiny vertical wordmark, so the brand billboards through material and restraint rather than colour. ## Agent Prompt Guide Quick Color Reference: - Mirror Gold: #c9a25a — Polished metallic finish on lipstick cases, the stick sleeve, blush base, mascara wand cap and every skincare cap - Piano Black: #111010 — Gloss black mascara tube and complexion tube bodies - Porcelain Cream: #efeae0 — Soft cream stick bodies and their caps on highlighter and bronzer sticks - Frosted Flint: #e9e6e1 — Frosted glass upper portion of serum and cleanser bottles - Formula Umber: #6e3a26 — Amber-brown liquid visible through frosted glass, acting as the skincare body colour - Silver Cap: #c4c6c8 — Polished silver cap on the complexion tube, the one non-gold metal - Engraved Gold: #b8975e — Wordmark printed in gold on black, cream and frosted components - Ivory Print: #f4efe6 — Light product name and descriptor printed over the dark formula on skincare - Shade Bullet: #a8332f — The product itself (lipstick bullet, blush dome, bronze balm) is the only colour coding Create a straight-walled lipstick case in Mirror Gold (#c9a25a) with a flush cap and an original wordmark in widely tracked Label capitals running vertically up the lower half in ivory. Make a gloss Piano Black (#111010) mascara tube with a polished gold wand cap and the same vertical wordmark printed in Engraved Gold (#b8975e). Design a soft matte Porcelain Cream (#efeae0) twist-up stick with a bronze dome showing on top and a matching cream cap. Create a frosted glass serum bottle with a tall polished gold cap about 40% of its height and amber-brown formula (#6e3a26) filling the lower part. Print the serum with a horizontal tracked wordmark at the shoulder, an italic Headline product name, a bold tracked Body format line and an italic French line, all in ivory. Image prompt: Product photo of a new minimalist makeup brand in a polished-gold minimal style: a straight cylindrical lipstick case in mirror-polished gold standing beside its cap, a gloss black mascara tube with a gold cap, a soft cream twist-up stick with a bronze dome showing on top, and a frosted glass serum bottle with a tall polished gold cap and amber-brown formula visible inside. Each component carries only a small wordmark in widely tracked capitals with tiny serifs, printed vertically in a single contrasting colour; the serum has a short italic serif product name above a tiny bilingual descriptor. No pattern, no labels. Pale warm grey seamless background, soft directional studio light with gentle reflections, luxury product photography. Invent an original brand name and artwork; do not reproduce existing logos. ## Similar Brands - **Westman Atelier** — Also builds luxe minimal makeup from a few material finishes and a tiny wordmark, but uses black and cream with a chunkier, more sculpted form. - **Rhode** — Shares the pared-back, few-word component with no imagery, though in soft pale plastic instead of polished gold. - **Tom Ford Beauty** — Uses polished gold and black cases with a tracked capitals wordmark, but heavier, darker and more ornate. - **Aesop** — Lets amber glass and a restrained typographic label carry skincare, with more copy and no metallic caps. ## Quick Start ### CSS Custom Properties ```css /* Colours are estimated from product photography (screen values, not print specifications). Proportions and type scales are visual estimates, not measured manufacturing dimensions. Typefaces are lookalikes, not identified fonts. */ :root { /* Colors */ --color-mirror-gold: #c9a25a; --color-piano-black: #111010; --color-porcelain-cream: #efeae0; --color-frosted-flint: #e9e6e1; --color-formula-umber: #6e3a26; --color-silver-cap: #c4c6c8; --color-engraved-gold: #b8975e; --color-ivory-print: #f4efe6; --color-shade-bullet: #a8332f; /* Typography — families (free lookalikes) */ --font-label: 'Cinzel', Copperplate, Optima, serif; --font-headline: 'Libre Caslon Text', 'Georgia Italic', 'Times Italic'; --font-body: 'Montserrat', Futura, Helvetica; /* Typography — illustrative scale, as a share of the panel (Front of the 30 ml frosted serum bottle body, about 70 mm tall excluding cap) */ --panel-height: 70mm; --text-vertical-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.06); --text-compact-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.06); --text-bottle-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.05); --text-product-name: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.045); --text-format-line: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.02); --text-french-line: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.02); --text-volume: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.013); /* Proportions */ --wordmark-length-on-cylinders: 30%; --empty-surface: 90%; --skincare-cap-height: 40%; --formula-fill-line: 65%; /* Surfaces */ --surface-mirror-gold: #c9a25a; --surface-porcelain-cream: #efeae0; --surface-formula-umber: #6e3a26; } ``` ### Tailwind v4 ```css /* Colours are estimated from product photography (screen values, not print specifications). Proportions and type scales are visual estimates, not measured manufacturing dimensions. Typefaces are lookalikes, not identified fonts. */ @theme { /* Colors */ --color-mirror-gold: #c9a25a; --color-piano-black: #111010; --color-porcelain-cream: #efeae0; --color-frosted-flint: #e9e6e1; --color-formula-umber: #6e3a26; --color-silver-cap: #c4c6c8; --color-engraved-gold: #b8975e; --color-ivory-print: #f4efe6; --color-shade-bullet: #a8332f; /* Typography — families (free lookalikes) */ --font-label: 'Cinzel', Copperplate, Optima, serif; --font-headline: 'Libre Caslon Text', 'Georgia Italic', 'Times Italic'; --font-body: 'Montserrat', Futura, Helvetica; /* Typography — illustrative scale, as a share of the panel (Front of the 30 ml frosted serum bottle body, about 70 mm tall excluding cap) */ --panel-height: 70mm; --text-vertical-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.06); --text-compact-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.06); --text-bottle-wordmark: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.05); --text-product-name: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.045); --text-format-line: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.02); --text-french-line: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.02); --text-volume: calc(var(--panel-height) * 0.013); /* Proportions */ --wordmark-length-on-cylinders: 30%; --empty-surface: 90%; --skincare-cap-height: 40%; --formula-fill-line: 65%; /* Surfaces */ } ```