Matusa

We thrive on bringing clients’ visions to life, and Leigh Wick made it easy. Leigh, the owner of Vanity Makeup & Skin Care in Spokane, Washington—had a crystal-clear vision for a premium beauty brand that would shatter industry conventions a brand called Matusa (pronounced Meh-tüsha).

After much contemplation, she came to us with the name—which is the Romanian word for “aunt”, should anyone ask— that also conjurs powerful imagery of the mythological Medusa. We embraced this duality: protective, nurturing aunt who fiercely defends those she loves and transformative goddess who turns enemies to stone.

We began by creating a custom illustration of Medusa and a logo that exudes dark sophistication, capturing Leigh’s philosophy of protective beauty.

As Leigh put it: “In a world full of people who look the same, we wear our beauty differently. We choose feared and powerful over empty and pretty. There is beauty in being raw. There is beauty in being natural. There is beauty in being flawed. Don’t turn yourself to stone!”

Matusa doesn’t just sell cosmetics—it sells fierce protection and radical self-acceptance wrapped in gothic luxury.

Matusa Product Line
​American Graphic Design Award, 2023