Lief Labs is a turnkey product-development and manufacturing partner for the dietary supplement industry, based in Santa Clarita, California, guiding wellness brands from formulation and manufacturing through packaging and fulfillment. As its in-house designer and brand marketing specialist, I worked on the brand refresh from the positioning research through the identity system and its rollout across the whole company.
Two decades in, ready to look the part.
Lief Labs has succeeded by helping wellness brands bring product to market, from formulation and manufacturing to packaging and fulfillment. It’s the kind of partner most shoppers never see, but whose fingerprints are on shelves across the category.
After almost two decades, the brand on paper didn’t match the team Lief had become. Closing that gap was the project.
A facelift, not a teardown.
The identity went through a deliberate refresh rather than a reinvention: a quieter, more confident wordmark, a palette expanded well beyond the original industrial neutrals, and a type system built to scale from a spec sheet to a tradeshow wall without losing its voice.
Strategy first. Then the system.
The work started with research, not the design tools. The VPS framework (Lief’s vision, positioning, and strategy) came out of customer interviews, sales conversations, and a competitive audit of the category.
Brand Pillars
Quality that delivers
Science-backed formulations built to perform and scale.
- Rigorous quality control at every stage
- Ingredients sourced for efficacy, not cost-cutting
- Compliant, credible, market-ready
Formulations that fuel growth
Custom formulation from concept to commercialization.
- No white label: every product is built for your brand
- Flavor expertise that drives repeat purchase
- Flexible formats across categories
Partnerships that last
A true partner invested in your brand’s long-term success.
- Dedicated support from brief to launch
- Transparent, collaborative process
- Built for brands that are scaling, not starting
Tone of Voice
Premium & authoritative
Confident without arrogance. Lead with expertise, not hype.
“Lief Labs doesn’t follow trends. We formulate ahead of them.”
Scientific & credible
Specific over vague. Proof over promise.
“Every formula starts with the data, not the label.”
Partnering & collaborative
Speak like a partner in the room, not a vendor.
“Your vision, our expertise. Let’s build something worth taking.”
Clear & direct
No jargon for its own sake. Say the real thing, simply.
“We make supplements that work. That’s the whole job.”
Words & Claims to Avoid
Only then did the visual identity follow. The positioning gave every later decision, from the wordmark and palette to the messaging and rollout, something firm to answer to, which is what kept the system coherent as it spread across the business.
Premium, energetic, built to last.
The palette got richer, with more depth. I reworked the type to feel more authoritative and set the hierarchy and weights to support the new positioning. It still looks like Lief, just ready for bigger rooms like trade shows, investor decks, and enterprise sales meetings.
Built to play big.
The brand needed to work in motion, too. I made a company film and a series of event videos for the biggest screens in the room: the main-stage screens and LED marquees around the Supply Side and Expo West floors. Each one matched that night’s theme.
Still the standard.
The refresh didn’t stay in the marketing folder. It rolled out across the whole company, from sales collateral and trade show booths to warehouse signage, new-hire mailers, and internal posters. People noticed, and it’s still the starting point for everything new we make.
