Urban Decay Rebrand

In 1996, Urban Decay shook up the status quo in an industry that was plagued with “pretty.”

Feeling constrained by the boring sea of pink, red, and beige offered by the industry, UD’s founder Wende Zomnir began mixing her own highly pigmented nail polishes in her Laguna Beach bungalow and in 1996 co-founded Urban Decay to fill a niche for color-loving misfits like her.

Launching her brand with the famous “Does Pink Make You Puke” campaign and brand line “Makeup for Boys and Girls”, Urban Decay challenged the norms and created edge in the beauty world. But twenty years later, the industry’s back to the same old boring tricks. Airbrushed models and faux diversity are stifling creativity, so we’re calling bullshit. When makeup brands tell everyone to “be yourself,” we answer: “we can be whoever the fuck we want” with a new brand platform “Pretty Different.”

“Pretty Different” proudly rejects the sameness that runs through the industry today, giving beauty junkies a reason once again to feel inspired by Urban Decay. It breaks the monotony of beauty and grants permission to recreate and reinvent who you are and how you look at a moment’s notice. Like makeup, it’s about defining beauty on your terms and crafting your own destiny through self expression. As we champion our fun, untamed spirit, we invite others to feel the same sense of liberation.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
New Business Win
Concept and Execute Brand Platform
Concept and Execute New Brand Book
Concept and Execute All Video + Photography
Brand Ambassador Casting
On-Set Brand Art Direction
End-to-End Production

RECOGNITION
2020 AICP Awards, Shortlist Fashion + Beauty
AdForum Eye of the Beholder

BY THE NUMBERS
1 billion global impressions • over 4.2M video views • 250+ global press stories
Most positively reviewed campaign in Urban Decay history (99% positive sentiment)
Most YouTube views on launch day of any campaign in Urban Decay history (100k)