Mecca Cosmetica

Think back to the late 90s and minimalism was all the rage. So Mecca’s initial identity was suitably reductive. Refined letterforms and abstractions of an eye, a nose and lips. One colour printing was not just an aesthetic decision, it saved on production costs.

In its early days Mecca eschewed traditional advertising but a rapidly expanding network of storefronts provided the perfect billboards. With no two façades the same, flexible campaigns of catchy headlines and surreal imagery became synonymous with Mecca’s disruptive approach.

Just as the stores set a new standard in customer service, Mecca’s catalogues led the way for competitors to try and emulate. The very first edition was created on a Saturday at Jo’s dining table. Eventually every six weeks, 48 pages was produced in less than a week. Timeframes and budgets were still kept very tight. Not that the growing community of devotees knew any of that when this beauty bible arrived by post!

Every June, Jo supplied a single headline for the all-important holiday gift season. By July, everything is in production from shopping bags to gift boxes and cards and window graphics. Ho, Ho, Ho!

As Mecca’s first decade came to a close, it was time to establish its in-house design studio. Ty signed off a 10 year partnership with a joyous Mecca birthday campaign. After which his attention turned to kit cosmetics… a new baby needed nurturing.