Brand Transformation
for Loop Earplugs
From 2022 to 2024 I was the Global Creative Director of Loop Earplugs. I led Loop’s transformation from a scale-up into a premium lifestyle brand. I redefined the brand vision, executed a full identity overhaul, including tone of voice and brand architecture, and directed creative strategies across channels like .com, UI/UX, 3D design, product, packaging, advertising, digital, B2B, and social media.
I also built an agency-style team of in-house talent, freelancers, and external partners, where I elevated output quality and scaled operations. Key elements of this brand rebuild include brand vision, photography, 3D visualization, packaging, webshop, tone of voice, strategies for social, B2B, employer branding, etc.
Below I share some selected slides of the work produced over my tenure at Loop.
The Challenge: From Benefit To Desire.
Wearing earplugs came with a stigma, people saw them as medical, awkward, or something to hide. Changing that perception was a critical element of the rebrand. We set out to make earplugs feel like a bold lifestyle choice, using expressive, unapologetic photography and tone of voice. We celebrated noise-sensitive individuals. Protecting your hearing wasn’t something to hide, it was smart. And we were bold about it.
When I joined, Loop Earplugs was focused on functional benefits, solving a problem. My biggest contribution was setting a vision that shifted the brand from “I need this product” to “I want this product,” positioning it as a premium lifestyle brand. Aspiration and desire became the core of our communication and design. Product benefits still mattered, but they now played a supporting role to emotion and identity.
Identity Transformation
Tone of Voice
We reshaped the tone to be aspirational and provocative, while still sounding tech-savvy and easy to understand.
Product Visualization
We positioned the earplugs as a combination of desire (using jewelry-like product display) and technology (focused on benefits and innovation). This helped create a more aspirational appeal while maintaining the product’s core functionality.
Photography
We made the product the hero, shifting from a functional image to a bold, unapologetic photography style. This was key in breaking the stigma around wearing earplugs, presenting them as an accessory that made a fashion statement.
E-commerce redesign
The Shopify experience was revamped to reflect a premium lifestyle brand, integrating thoughtful copy, high-quality visuals, and seamless navigation to provide a high-end shopping experience.
Packaging
The packaging was designed to feel like a collectible item, adding a sense of exclusivity and attention to detail that made the brand feel high-end.
Product Visualization
The approach to product display focused on turning a simple earplug into something aspirational. I sourced the right 3D partner and led the creative direction for all product renders and animations. The brief was clear: present the earplugs as a fusion of tech and jewellery, with materials, lighting, and movement that elevated their perceived value without overstating the product.
We partnered with the talented design team of FOUND studio.
From their website description: We created a suite of photorealistic brand assets to elevate Loop Earplugs online presence. By combining precise product modelling with creative innovation, we ensured their products were presented in the most captivating and engaging way across all digital platforms.
Photography Art Direction
Expressive, improvised, colourful, caught-in-the-moment photography.
As part of the rebrand, I creatively directed Loop’s photography. The visual language of the brand photography is upbeat and a bit theatrical. Facial expressions are used for a more emotional approach.
We aimed for the accidental, improvised, and in-between scenes. We avoided clean poses and we looked for real expressions. We always had clean and safe shots, but our ideal images felt expressive and authentic.
Photographer: https://mariewynants.com/
Art Director: Nina Hagen
Shopify Redesign
I led the complete redesign of Loop Earplugs’ Shopify store as Creative Director. Managed UX and UI while hiring top specialists to execute a high-performance, conversion-focused e-commerce experience. Removed all outdated code and replaced it with a custom-built foundation, improving speed, functionality, and ease of updates. The result: a streamlined, future-proof store optimized for both user experience and performance.
Logo and Icon
The logo uses the iconic shape of the product as their symbol. The typography is sans serif and geometric, connecting the simplicity of the earplugs and their recognizable shape.
The icon becomes a communication vehicle
The simplicity of the shape allows for ways to illustrate and modify with new launches, such a special drops, seasonal collections and brand campaigns.
Packaging
The icon also is at the center of the packaging, where the color of the earplugs is applied either with color or a print technique. We used gold, silver and copper foils, matte finishes, UV layers, etc.
Special Editions Packaging
Maintaining the simplicity of the design structure, we illustrated and re-designed for each new special edition, making the packaging a collector item, creating anticipation and desire. The packaging also becomes great material for unboxing content on socials.
Brand Book
The brand overhaul came with a large brand book anyone could use as reference.
