Redken: Elite Color Invitation

Challenges Leading hair care brand, Redken 5th Avenue NYC, was looking to recruit members for their Elite Color Product Testing Team. Forty renowned hair colorists from across the country would be invited to perform confidential product testing and aid Redken in developing new hair care formulas. The challenge was to create an intriguing invitation that conveyed the exclusivity of the team and inspired recipients to accept the position. Strategy With only 40 invitations to produce and two weeks for design and production, MSLK strategized a solution that could be produced by hand using unique materials. Furthermore, we sought to emphasize the confidential and exclusive nature of the elite team. Design The invitation plays with color by initially appearing as a blank, black sheet, reflecting the overall Redken brand identity. As the invitation is fanned open, it is revealed that this black is actually created by several layers of brightly colored acetate—a natural choice for hair colorists. To reinforce the confidential nature of the team, the invitations were heat-sealed in a slick, rubbery black envelope. Exterior stickers labeled “priority” and “top secret” intrigued recipients to open the envelopes’ contents. Success Upon receipt of the invitation, Redken was successful in recruiting all forty members to the Elite Color Team. In 2005, the invitation was honored for its excellence in design with GD USA’s American Graphic Design Award.