Moscow Mule develops a minimalistic, cell-inspired packaging system for health supplement brand Alform

Alform is a line of health supplements created by Faberlic, one of Russia’s most prominent cosmetic companies. Ranging from vitamins to gels and diet shakes, their products are designed to maintain and boost a healthy immune system.

Moscow-based studio Moscow Mule, tasked with naming and branding the range, proposed ‘Alform’ as a combination of ‘absolute’ and ‘form’. They explain that they “wanted the name to sound abstract and be understood internationally, and at the same time, reflect the brand’s concept of being in your ‘absolute shape’”.

The identity is intentionally minimalistic and sterile in order to emphasise the scientific expertise that goes into each laboratory-designed product. For those within plastic containers, the studio created a series of immersive 3D cells as a base. Simple at its core, a cell is a fundamental building unit of all living organisms on the planet and has a positive association with health. Each illustration represents a particular vitamin complex that supports a specific system in our bodies.

For the products that don’t relate to a specific bodily system, Moscow Mule die-cut delicate circles into a series of stark white boxes. Vibrant gradients beam out from within, producing a sense of other-worldly intrigue. The colours once again relate to cells but also perform a more functional, systematic role. “The shakes’ gradients refer to their taste (strawberry are pink, and apple and lime are yellowish-green)”, Moscow Mule reveals, before adding that “the antioxidant gels help to calm sunburned skin, so we chose the blue gradient as a metaphor for the ‘cooling’ process”.

Crisp white paper and rigid sans serif typography come together with the bright colours and 3D illustrations, creating a beautiful and unexpected contrast. The clean, precise and untraditionally futuristic identity system offers somewhat of a fresh angle on how to portray scientific expertise aesthetically.

Moscow Mule