Wink gave 40-year-old herbal brand Crystal Star a simplicity-first rebrand

A heritage herbal supplement company wanted to reach an active population that is curious, proactive and seeks out alternative, non-traditional elements for its wellness journeys.

Simplify the logo into one flexible mark that works circular or horizontal, and demote the heritage 'vine' pattern to a delicate background symbol of natural ingredients.

Wink partnered with Roundpeg Consulting to re-define the brand, then rolled out clean, timeless typography, a striking but understated palette that highlights rather than overwhelms, simplified labels, and packaging language stripped of confusing claims.

PRINT featured the system as a case of restraint — 'simplicity is the star in Crystal Star's branding'; no commercial results were disclosed.

Crystal Star, a herbal supplement company that had gone four decades without marketing or branding initiatives, asked design firm Wink to update its brand. Wink partnered with Roundpeg Consulting to re-examine and define the brand for better consumer positioning and growth. The research found an active population of people who are curious and proactive about health and actively seek alternative and non-traditional elements for their wellness journeys.

The redesign began with the logo: a simplified star mark made flexible enough to work in both circular and horizontal applications. The company's heritage 'vine' pattern became a delicate background graphic symbolising the natural ingredients in every supplement, while clean, straightforward typography and a simplistic label design gave a nod to the company's age.

The packaging overhaul also fixed a usability problem — the previous packs carried language that confused consumers. Designers Jenny Moran and Scott Thares kept the colour palette striking but understated, so the colour highlights the design rather than overwhelming it. PRINT's March 2021 write-up summarised the system in one line: simplicity is the star in Crystal Star's branding.

The strategy work came first: positioning for proactive, alternative-curious wellness shoppers told the designers exactly what the design had to signal — natural, credible, uncluttered.

Demoting the vine pattern to a background texture preserves 40 years of equity while clearing the shelf noise that a neglected brand accumulates.

Fixing confusing label language is the unglamorous half of supplement rebrands, and here it was treated as a design deliverable, not an afterthought.

Heritage is a design asset to be demoted, not deleted: keep the original motifs but move them to supporting roles, and simplicity itself becomes the positioning.

The rebrand was featured by PRINT in March 2021; no commercial results were published with the coverage.