Aqua Nova Skin Solutions — Brand Identity & Launch
From Blank Page to Booked Solid
Role
Brand Architect
Industry
Small Business | Beauty Services
Duration
3 months
The Client
Alyssa Forkell is a trained esthetician with nearly a decade of experience across Las Vegas and Denver. Her practice is built on a simple but deeply personal belief: that everyone deserves to feel confident, ageless, and comfortable in their own skin. She launched her business for those seeking not only radiant, revitalized skin but also a calm, nurturing space to unwind, recharge, and escape the stress of everyday life. Alyssa is on a mission to reconnect clients with their skin and restore balance, confidence and create lasting results.
When she was ready to open her own studio in Centennial, Colorado, she had everything mapped out: her product partnerships with Circadia, her spa layout, her service offerings. The one thing she didn't yet have was a brand.
That's where I came in.
The Brief
Alyssa's target client is primarily women in their 30s and 40s, but she was clear that she didn't want a brand that felt like a makeup line. Skin care, especially for men, can be difficult to approach and a heavily feminine aesthetic can reduce accessibility to this demographic. She wanted wide appeal across genders, and identities. Warmth without exclusion. Beauty without vanity.
Her vision for the studio's atmosphere was equally specific: warm, modern, with an art deco and boho sensibility. Earthy but elevated and professional.
My job was to take everything she knew about herself, her mission, and her clients — and turn it into a visual identity that could carry her business into the world.
The Work
Naming
I pitched several options derived from her LLC. Alyssa landed on Aqua Nova Skin Solutions almost immediately. It resonated because it communicated purpose. Aqua for water, hydration, cleanliness. Nova for renewal, brightness, a fresh start. Skin Solutions for the no-nonsense expertise at the center of her practice.
The name said: this isn't about beauty for beauty's sake. This is about solving a problem.
Visual Identity
The logo concept came from somewhere deeply personal. As a teenager wishing for clearer skin and someone to trust, Alyssa, an Aquarius and astrology lover, had looked to the stars. That image became the heart of the brand: a divine figure, set against the Aquarius constellation. Water. Stars. Confidence. A wish fulfilled.
Working together in Photoshop and Illustrator, we explored graphic elements, tested combinations, and I kept asking questions about her motivations, her clients, the feeling she wanted someone to have the moment they walked through her door. The process was as much excavation as it was design. Once we had an original concept locked in, we commissioned an artist to produce a final vector file, which Alyssa still uses today.
The color palette reflected the same balance of warmth and modernity she wanted in the studio itself: soft pinks, deep greens, neutral beige, and a muted red. It was feminine without being exclusionary, and earthy without feeling dated.
Launch Materials
With the visual identity established, we extended it across her launch, social media content and business cards that introduced Aqua Nova to the world with a consistent look and feel. Alyssa led her own copy and voice throughout; my role was to define the visual scope and direction so that whatever she wrote had a strong, cohesive frame to live inside.
The Outcome
Aqua Nova Skin Solutions celebrates 4 years in business as of 2026.
Alyssa is consistently booked, has earned over 100 five-star Google reviews, and ranks among the top local search results for estheticians in the Denver metro area. Her business is fueled by her clients who have become word-of-mouth ambassadors.
This has been the most reliable signal that her brand is doing what it should: making people feel something worth talking about.
What I Learned
The most important thing I took from this project is that the best brand work is listening work. A visual identity isn't invented, it's uncovered. The Aquarius constellation, the divine femme, the warm earthy palette, none of that came from a mood board. It came from understanding one person's story deeply enough to translate it into something visual.
Alyssa knew who she was and why she did this work. My job was to make sure the world could see it too.
Deliverables: Brand name, logo concept & direction, color palette, social media launch content, business cards
