KY Jelly — Evolving & rolling out a legacy consumer brand across digital & print
I was initially brought in to create a new visual direction for the existing KY Jelly brand in the UK, developing a more modern and inclusive identity that could work across social, print and digital channels.
Around eighteen months later, the brand was reintroduced in the UK as Kynect. By that stage, a new design system had been created and I was brought back to apply it across a new website and refreshed social presence.
Client: KY Jelly / Kynect
Role: Lead Designer
Focus: Branding, UX/UI, visual content, photography direction
Brief
Create a contemporary visual identity for KY Jelly in the UK, then later apply the Kynect rebrand consistently across digital platforms.
Objective
Create a more inclusive visual language that felt contemporary without becoming clinical.
Modernise a well-established healthcare brand while preserving trust and recognition.
Build a flexible identity that could translate consistently across photography, social, print and digital.
Support the transition from KY Jelly to Kynect through a cohesive digital rollout.
Challenge
KY Jelly was a well-established healthcare brand with strong recognition, but its visual identity no longer reflected changing attitudes towards intimacy and sexual wellbeing.
The challenge wasn't simply to modernise the brand. It was to evolve a familiar healthcare product for a more inclusive audience while preserving the trust and recognition built over decades. Rather than relying on outdated category conventions or overly clinical aesthetics, the new identity needed to feel approachable, contemporary and confident without losing what made the brand recognisable.
Approach
Researching the category revealed that many intimate healthcare brands relied on dated visual conventions, gendered messaging or clinical design cues. Rather than reinventing the category entirely, I explored multiple visual directions to understand how the brand could feel more contemporary while preserving the trust associated with an established healthcare product.
These early explorations tested different approaches to colour, typography, photography and tone of voice, helping define a visual language that felt warmer, more inclusive and easier to connect with.
The chosen direction (Direction A: Calm Confidence) balanced confidence, simplicity and approachability, informing everything from the launch photography and campaign concepts to the later rollout of the Kynect identity across digital channels.
Direction A: Calm Confidence
Direction B: Bold Intensity
For the initial launch, the focus was on creating consistency across every touchpoint. Colour, icons, type, and imagery were chosen to feel modern, fun and confident, while avoiding anything clinical or overdesigned.
Photoshoot for Launch
I art directed the launch photography to create a flexible image library that could support the refreshed identity across web, social and print.
Rather than relying on traditional product photography, the imagery focused on everyday moments and lifestyle settings that felt natural, inclusive and approachable. This helped reposition the brand through photography while creating a consistent visual language that could be applied confidently across future campaigns and communications.
Paid & Organic Social
I created paid and organic social assets using photography from the launch shoot, extending the refreshed identity across digital channels.
The content balanced product communication with a more approachable visual language, helping the brand feel contemporary, inclusive and recognisable while maintaining consistency across ongoing campaigns.
To support partnerships and influencer outreach, I designed printed promotional materials that extended the refreshed identity beyond digital channels.
Every piece reinforced the same visual language through typography, colour and imagery, creating a cohesive experience that felt modern, tactile and consistent with the wider brand.
Later down the line, the UK brand transitioned from KY Jelly to Kynect. Rather than creating a new visual direction, my role shifted to translating the newly established design system into a cohesive digital experience.
The challenge became maintaining consistency throughout the transition, ensuring the new identity felt familiar to existing users while introducing a clearer and more contemporary brand presence.
From KY Jelly to Kynect.
Re-brand
Website
I designed the Kynect website by applying the new identity across a clear and familiar digital experience.
Layouts, typography and graphic elements were implemented consistently throughout the site, helping users transition smoothly from the legacy brand while establishing a recognisable online presence that reflected the updated identity.
Re-brand
Social
To coincide with the launch of Kynect, I applied the new design system across social media, translating the refreshed visual language into flexible digital assets.
Typography, iconography and campaign elements were used consistently to strengthen brand recognition while creating a confident, cohesive presence across digital channels.
Outcome
The initial KY Jelly refresh modernised the brand while preserving the familiarity and trust associated with an established healthcare product. Through a more inclusive visual language, cohesive photography and consistent application across print, social and digital, the identity helped reposition the brand for a contemporary audience.
The later transition to Kynect demonstrated the flexibility of the design system, allowing the new identity to be applied consistently across digital touchpoints while maintaining continuity for existing users and supporting a confident brand rollout.