2019 • Product strategy • industrial design • campaign concept • art direction • production • launch design
Aloe Vera Lube + grip launch
At Dame, I led a small creative team working across physical product development, brand design, and marketing. For the launch of our first personal lubricant, I helped turn a common customer frustration into both a new product solution and a cohesive campaign, contributing to product strategy and industrial design, then leading the creative direction from concept through production and rollout.
Dame set out to create a body-safe, aloe-based lubricant that felt as thoughtfully designed as its pleasure products. But product research revealed another problem: lube packaging was often awkward to dispense and nearly impossible to hold once things got slippery. Out of 1,400+ people surveyed, one-third identified slippery packaging as a major frustration.
the challenge
my role
design + art direction
Working alongside Dame’s product and engineering teams, I contributed to the product roadmap and physical development of the packaging and design of alu, the lube, and grip, a silicone sleeve we designed to add friction to the bottle and reduce slipping.
product development
The final system paired an easy-to-pump bottle with a sculptural silicone sleeve designed to improve traction—addressing a functional problem without making the product feel clinical.
refining the design
I developed the visual concept and led the launch shoot from pre-production through final delivery, working across shot planning, photographer collaboration, styling, on-set direction, image selection, and post-production. The resulting library balanced hero campaign imagery with flexible product, ingredient, texture, and educational assets.
art direction and production
building the launch system
The image system was designed to support the full launch ecosystem, from product education and e-commerce to editorial, social, email, PR, and retail.
in 2019, discriminatory advertising policies severely limited where dame could promote sexual wellness products for women (even as comparable products for men appeared across the same platforms). unable to rely on paid social, ctv, or out-of-home advertising, we had to find other ways to build awareness and drive revenue. within those constraints, i built the alu and grip launch across dame’s owned channels, adapting the campaign for the homepage, email, organic social, editorial, pr, and retail. fun fact: that same year, dame sued new york’s mta for sexism and censorship, and won, clearing the way for the brand’s first large out-of-home campaign.
working around the gatekeepers
our aloe vera lube and Grip launched as a connected product system shaped by feedback from more than 1,400 people. Fast Company highlighted the one-handed bottle and textured sleeve as examples of Dame’s user-led approach to product design.
A human-centered launch, recognized by Fast Company
veronica del rosario, creative consult
graham pollack, photography
daeun kim @ mosspark, production lead