From ethereal illustrations to dazzling diamonds, Mythology’s brand for Half Magic is spellbinding

Born from the iconic make-up aesthetic developed for the hit TV show Euphoria, its creator Doniella Davy has launched a vegan and cruelty-free beauty line: Half Magic. New York-based independent creative company Mythology were brought on board to name the brand and create all elements of the packaging and visual world. “Makeup is all about fulfilling a fantasy, becoming more you, wearing your feelings,” Head of Design Sophie Mascatello tells us, discussing the naming process. “To us, the name Half Magic expresses the brand’s reason for being – to give people the tools to realise their true and dream selves, to embrace a self-defined future and to become the you that has always been.”

The artistry and fantasy that Davy created with Euphoria’s makeup were the primary inspiration for the resulting identity system – from the verbal through to the visual. This is best captured in the iconic diamond mark, representing Davy’s lustrous and luxurious use of rhinestones and iridescence. The mark itself appears as the standalone logo, within the wordmark, and as a cut-out pattern on the packaging to show the vibrant colour of the makeup.

Likewise, to amplify the vibrance and shimmer of the makeup, the typographic choices were kept largely neutral, minimal and supportive. “The type system uses Sanzettica by Aah Yes and Nimbus Sans by URW Type Foundry,” Mascatello notes. “We chose these functional san serifs because the brand (across illustration, colour and image) is incredibly lush and vibrant and we wanted some tension with a utilitarian, recessive type system.” 

Bespoke illustrations by Sara Rabin adorn each of the products, metaphorically linking to their meaning. For example, a mermaid swimming underwater illustrates ‘Dew Lock’ – the setting spray. “We were drawn to her as a young artist because the airbrushed nature of her work really feels like an extension of Davy’s artistry and her view of makeup as artistic expression,” Mascatello explains. “The bold maximalism of Sara’s work is so inherently fantastical and rich with pigment that it seems like it’s made from makeup itself – a match made in heaven for the brand we wanted to build.” 

When it came to the final piece of the puzzle – the packaging – sustainability was central to Mythology’s thinking. “The Half Magic team and their industrial designers for packaging shared the same vision and were able to secure the claim of being the first beauty brand to introduce PaperFoam® (lightweight, sturdy, and biodegradable material created with industrial potato starch and moulded cellulose) as primary packaging featured in the ‘Eyeshadow Singles’ collection,” Mascatello continues. “Additionally, all secondary packaging is made from tree-free paper, and ‘Light Trap,’ the highlighter product, is an entirely tree-free paper palette with a recyclable tin makeup pan.”

Designed to eliminate plastic and excess material wherever possible, the packaging is also modular. “So, for example,” Mascatello explains, “customers can purchase individual eyeshadows, which are packaged in the PaperFoam® packaging, remove it from that biodegradable package, and place the eyeshadow into their ‘Forever Palette’ (a customisable, magnetic palette with which you can build a collection of shades across the suite of Half Magic products). Additionally, there is a mail-back programme, where customers can ship back empty packaging and trays so they can be disposed of and recycled properly,” she concludes.

Mythology

Half Magic