Noonka is a new kind of bug repellent built around nootkatone, a naturally derived compound from cedarwood and grapefruit that's recently FDA-approved and as effective as DEET. As the brand identity and web designer, I was brought on to answer a deceptively simple question: how do you make a bug repellent people actually want to wear? Not just effective, but elevated, even luxury. The founder had a clear vision but no path to execution. She wanted Noonka to stand apart from a category that all looks the same, positioning it as chic, refined, and aimed at a demographic no existing brand was speaking to.

I started with research, building a competitive board and report covering nearly every bug repellent brand on the market. The pattern was obvious: the entire category leaned clinical and utilitarian, all warning labels and harsh function. No one was selling the feeling of being outdoors. That gap became the brief.

From there, I built a brand identity around nostalgia and the outdoors, the feeling of being fully present in a moment worth remembering. I translated that direction into a complete visual identity and applied it across a custom Shopify store. Beyond branding, I edited the product photography and built out the entire site, taking Noonka from a vision to a fully functioning e-commerce store in about eight weeks.