Sam Sonntag makes things people want to keep. As a designer whose work has shaped some of the most recognizable objects in beauty — from his time at Glossier to more recent projects with Rhode, he’s drawn to forms that feel intentional, and unexpected; the kind that define a subculture and quickly take on a life of their own.
In this week’s SIDIA Stories, he reflects on growing up queer in an environment that asked him to water himself down, and how that experience shaped the way he observes and moves through the world. We talk about designing for longevity in an industry that moves quickly, the tension between refinement and disruption, and the shift that happens when you stop holding back the work that feels most true to you.
--
You transitioned from a space where your identity was something to hide to a career where your perspective is your greatest asset. What advice do you have for young designers who feel they have to quiet themselves in order to fit in?
"That’s right—I grew up as a queer person in a very religious environment. And to get through it, I learned how to be hyper observant and navigate spaces carefully until I felt safe to be myself. All the while, I was feeling like I had so much inside me and I didn’t know how to express it. I found safety with my family, but I was still constantly code-switching and feeling this enormous pressure to conform in order to survive.
At school, my design program was very traditional, and serious about design, and most of my professors didn’t understand my point of view. They thought it was too silly or something, or too driven by pop culture, so I struggled to feel like I had much to offer when I entered the real world. But when I moved to New York City on a design internship at MAC, this whole new world opened up to me where I felt freedom for the first time. Especially working at the heart of the beauty industry, at such an expressive and audacious brand, I was finally processing and deconstructing all my hangups about identity and design and what it means to be successful as a creative person. I remember toward the end of my internship a mentor said, “If there’s one piece of feedback I have for you, it’s that wherever you go next, let people see your freak flag fly sooner.” Basically saying that I’m wasting time and potential by trying to hide who I am at this point. That affirmation felt so pivotal to me, and to this day is so encouraging anytime I question my creative choices.
As a creative person, your weirdness is a super power. And you’ll never really tap into your creative potential until you’re confident making what you think is cool. You’ll never be successful until you allow yourself to be vulnerable.
In my experience, success has come from a balance of trusting your intuition, and staying observant and humble. And a huge part of being successful as a working creative is purely being chill and enjoyable to work with. It’s a balance of understanding your surroundings and expectations, the system, culture, and then allowing yourself to have fun and not take it too seriously."
We often talk about beauty as 'of the moment.' But given your history, how do you design for permanence in an industry obsessed with the next 24-hour trend cycle?
"Product design is super cyclical, and incredibly trend-driven, especially in beauty. And the way our society consumes things so rapidly and disposably often feels futile. I’m in a position where I can influence some of what’s being created, so it’s important that I design things that people will want to hold onto and keep, or reuse—things that are simple, intentional, beautiful, and fun to interact with.
It’s really important to me to try and see my work living for many years and through many cycles. Something I learned at Glossier is the power of collectibility—we saw that work really well with things like stickers and balms and merch, which people are still holding on to. And that was a principle I applied when designing things like the Rhode Phone Case, or the Bubble Bag. It’s perfecting a simple form like a template, that’s equal parts functional and iconic, and that can iterate on itself over and over and always stays fresh.
In beauty, design has to fit so squarely in between being palatable enough for the masses, but just esoteric enough that it’s new and a little irreverent. There’s also an element of nostalgia that our generation really resonates with, so I find myself buying tons of old references on Ebay to study things from decades ago that have stood the test of time.
A big key to all of this is working with people who share that same point of view, and will make it easy to prioritize those decisions. Because a lot of the time creative choices can get steamrolled by corporate optimization or saving money, and I’m just really allergic to the idea of a cheap cash grab."
What does getting ready mean to you now — is it still a ritual, or has working in beauty changed your relationship to it?
"Getting ready will always be one of my favorite parts of the day—absolutely still a ritual. When I was a kid, my mom’s bathroom was a safe space for me, and I think in a way I self soothe by recreating that environment. I love the feeling of having a ton of potions around me, grooming myself, taking my time. I love seeing a transformation process, even if it’s small. I love looking my best. I also hold onto things that remind me of the women in my life, a perfume bottle that smells like my mom, my late grandmother’s little jewelry box she used to keep on her vanity, and a bottle of her nail polish tucked in my drawer. I love that beauty rituals create these deep, intergenerational connections that we return to.
My routine is also constantly informed by what I’m doing at work. My job is to create visual worlds around brands and products, so I love to try everything firsthand and immerse myself in it. That’s the best way to know what makes things different and how to communicate about them. I can get a bit obsessive trying to steep myself in my work, to the point that I can look back and see outfits that correlate with brand palettes I was developing, a sudden influx of certain scent profiles in my collection, playlists I’ve made that immerse me in a certain brand world, etc. I think those are all creative ways of getting your brain in the right mindset for this kind of work.
In a way, I’m always cataloguing and refining, though as I’m getting deeper into my career I’m finding that I’m focused much more on simplicity and try to be more discerning about what matters and what doesn’t."
"I think imperfection really signals humanity in a beautiful way, but it has to be done intentionally."
Your work often blurs the line between a physical object and a digital status symbol. In an increasingly digital world, how do you ensure a product feels like it has a soul when it’s being viewed through a screen?
"To me, design is the most interesting when there’s a clever sense of contrast. It’s the balance between showing restraint and leaning into simplicity, but also tossing in an element that’s disruptive within that system, whether it be material, scale, color, finish, etc. That sense of contrast can be really exciting and even relatable in its imperfection.
Many years ago, I worked under a brilliant creative director who’s feedback was almost always “Can you just.. fuck it up a little bit more?”, and this was everything from packaging forms, photo selects, store concepts, they always sought after a touch of imperfection or proof of humanity, which I think is where I learned about that sense of soul you can bring to things. I think imperfection really signals humanity in a beautiful way, but it has to be done intentionally.
I also think it’s important when you’re designing something physical that you’re always conscious of how culture will see it and digest it. How does it show up on social media, and how can you subvert the form to play into that?"
You've built experiences for some of the most beloved brands in the world. But what's a brand or a space, even if it is outside of beauty, that has moved you recently, and why?
"I’m really inspired by brands that focus on craft and quality, and have a sense of cleverness, that aren’t shouting or desperate for my attention. I’m honestly not very loyal to brands, but more so the people behind them doing the work. I really admire Jonathan Anderson and the way he brings a touch of his own identity to brands. In every one of his projects, you sense his strong work ethic and sense of play, and that he’s just focused on creating something artful and beautiful. You can also see his fingerprints in everything he does, he doesn’t conform to the brand, but the brand celebrates his vision.I also see it in music—Yebba, a once in a lifetime talent and phenomenal musician, but she isn’t super promotional, she works thoughtfully and intentionally and is totally non-compromising about her artistry. I just respect that approach and really look up to people like that.
Someone I’m obsessed with right now is Bailey J Mills on Tik Tok, who is hilarious and everything to me. They have such a subverted and dumb sense of humor, but it’s also so pointedly satirical. I’m hungry for satire, and performance art, even offensive art. I want John Waters. I miss expression, and grit, and counterculture. What does that say about where we’re at?"
What is something you have made that you're quietly the most proud of — something
"I don’t think I have a good answer for this!"
You've talked about beauty as something deeply personal, almost sacred. Which Sidia product has found its way into that sacred space for you — and why?
"My bodycare routine has always been something I like to take my time with and not rush through. And especially right now as the world feels like it’s spinning out of control, I’ve been taking a lot of hot baths to try and decompress and quiet my nerves. And when I’m all clean I really love covering myself in a nice body cream. I’ve absolutely drained the Sidia Wash and Cream in Soaked. I love how natural, spicy and mossy it smells. It’s almost meditative, and makes me feel like I’m in the bathhouse from Spirited Away."
Sam's Ritual:
