CLIENT PROFILE

Surf Balm is a sustainable, ocean-friendly cosmetic and skin care company, selling products made from natural ingredients. Products include lip balm and zinc cream, specifically aimed at surfers to protect them from the harsh elements whilst surfing. The owner of Surf Balm, Joe Phillips, appeared on The BBC’s The Apprentice in 2023 in hopes of winning Lord Sugar’s investment. Since Joe’s appearance on The Apprentice, Surf Balm has continued to make sales, released new products and increased their social media presence.

THE BRIEF

Improve Surf Balm’s social media posts with effective design to increase followers and engagement.

Promote any sales and new products.

MY GOALS

  • Design engaging social media posts

  • Generate increased sales

  • Increase social media presence

  • Raise awareness of Ocean sustainability

STATUS

I’ve been designing Surf Balm’s social media posts since July 2023 to June 2024 and increased engagement and sales.

  • Reach increased by 397% and engagement increased by 202.8% compared to the previous month.

  • Non-followers engagement increased by 980%

  • Non-followers reached increased by 311% with impressions increased by 86.5%

  • A new customer reached, on TikTok, commenting about the order they’ve just made.

Surf Balm sponsors Gylly Surf School

ABOUT GYLLY SURF SCHOOL

Gylly Surf School is a surf school and board rental company based at Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth. They host surf lessons for beginners and groups at Gylly beach.

GYLLY WAVE OF THE WINTER 2024

In order to build their community and online presence, Gylly Surf School hosted a surf competition; where surfers submit photos and videos of themselves surfing at Gylly Beach during the winter months. Gylly Surf School approached Surf Balm for sponsorship, where the winner would receive some Surf Balm products as part of their prize. The winner was voted for by a panel of judges and announced on the Gylly Surf School instagram page.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Throughout the duration of the competition, Gylly Surf School would share the submissions they received, tagged Surf Balm and added us as collaborators. Surf Balm also posted about the Gylly Surf School competition, tagging Gylly Surf School and including them as collaborators on the posts. From this, Surf Balm received more followers and reached more of their target audience.

FUTURE COMPETITIONS

Due to the success of Gylly Surf School’s Wave of the Winter competition, they plan to do more competitions of different themes and have asked Surf Balm to continue being sponsors.

Magazine ad

In May 2024, Gylly Surf School decided to launch their own magazine called ‘Gylly Mag’. They approached us to offer a double page spread, in the first issue of their magazine, to advertise Surf Balm.

The magazine is aimed towards surfers in Cornwall, making this a perfect advertising space for Surf Balm.

Joe Phillips

Owner of Surf Balm & candidate of The Apprentice 2023

"I am thrilled to share my experience with Chloe, the remarkable Social Media Officer at Wilkin Design. Chloe has truly revolutionised my online presence and taken my brand to new heights. Her dedication and responsiveness are unparalleled – she's always there to assist, no matter the time, ensuring a seamless and engaging interaction.

Chloe's exceptional grasp of my brand's core values is awe-inspiring. She goes above and beyond to ensure that every piece of content mirrors my goals and brand proposition flawlessly. Her prowess as a graphic designer is undeniable, but what truly sets her apart is her forward-thinking approach. Chloe meticulously plans each step, guaranteeing the success of every post.

A shining example of Chloe's prowess was evident in the recent launch of our new product. Her strategic social media planning played a pivotal role, leading to an incredibly successful launch and driving impressive sales. Wilkin Design and Chloe have my utmost gratitude – their expertise has been an invaluable asset. If you're looking for a skilled professional who can transform your online presence, Chloe is the one to turn to."

Valentine’s Day content

Product Display Box Design

Surf Balm required a product display box for their Zinc, to be placed on the counters of surf shops in Cornwall.

As the Zinc itself is white, I decided to make the background of the box white. This also meant that the visual and informative aspects would stand out whilst remaining on brand. The main selling point of this product is the SPF 50 protection, so I included this information in a yellow sun and shield icon, in order to effectively communicate to the audience; additionally, as yellow isn’t part of the brand palette and has connotations of summer, warmth and the sun, this will immediately grab the audiences’ attention. Additonally, it was also important to include other positive factors of the product; such as using natural ingredients and being better for the planet as well as your skin.

In order to keep a relatable and human aspect to the design, I included a surfer holding the Zinc with Zinc on his face. I also Photoshopped the surfboard to be the Surf Balm pink, in order to remain on brand.

Artwork ready for print