Based in New York in 2016, Homesick is a house perfume and way of life model with a easy aim: to carry pleasure to your house by serving to you’re feeling nearer to the folks, locations and moments that matter most. It specialises in luscious and vibrant scents for the house.
On the subject of the design and packaging of merchandise like this, a number of apparent visible cliches come to thoughts. So we take our hats off to Boston-based designer Zhenqi (aka Olivia) Zhao for crafting one thing extra unique and attention-grabbing.
Fairly frankly, mapping and geographic coordinates do not like the plain inspiration for a house perfume model. However as soon as Olivia explains the pondering behind her idea, the whole lot turns into clear.
A breath of contemporary air
“As an artwork director, embarking on the rebranding of Homesick was a artistic voyage that stuffed me with pleasure and function,” she recollects. “My main aim was to breathe new life into the model by encapsulating the essence of cherished recollections in each product, forging an intimate reference to our clients.”
So how did she get from there to geographic coordinates? “My idea aimed to assign a novel identifier or alphanumeric character to every distinct scent, making it intensely private and instantly identifiable,” she explains.
“To infuse depth and texture into this idea, I repurposed discarded folded paper because the backdrop, including a tactile dimension to our visible narrative.”
Capturing recollections
Importantly, her artistic course of mirrored the essence of Homesick’s mission: to encapsulate recollections authentically.
“I ventured into numerous communities, partaking with locals, sampling evocative scents, and delving into the guts of their tales,” she explains. “From reliving childhood recollections within the coronary heart of Texas to deciphering the enchanting scent of libraries with seasoned librarians, each journey fueled our perfume curation.
“My artistic muse drew inspiration from the artwork of scent extraction employed by manufacturers. I envisioned a world the place every scent bore its distinctive GPS coordinates. These factors would grow to be traces, and contours would rework into fascinating surfaces, every weaving a particular narrative for each scented candle.
“By infusing corresponding colors to symbolize these fragrances, I ensured that every candle was adorned with a definite color palette, forging a profound private connection and making the model unmistakable.”
Bins, baggage and billboards
She provides that the packaging design for the candles introduced a novel canvas for her imaginative and prescient. “I envisioned the field as a masterful illustration of a geographic coordinate system map. Right here, the unyielding 0 levels of longitude acted because the stage for 2 particular latitude and longitude traces.
“These traces dynamically positioned every candle’s picture in a unique location on the packaging, crafting an individualised sample for each product. Distinctive consultant colors on the package deal’s backside supplied the crowning glory, elevating their visible attraction.”
She prolonged the identical pondering throughout all model property. “Our branded purchasing baggage resonated with the core of our model, homesickness,” she notes. “A small stamp, a timeless but extraordinary image, echoed the emotions of longing and nostalgia. The potential to remodel these stamps into stickers held the promise of amplifying model recognition.”
The model’s official web site and interactive billboards breathed additional life into this sensory journey. “The homepage unfurls a fascinating international map,” Olivia explains, “replete with vibrant latitude and longitude traces. This interactive interface invited clients to embark on a private voyage of recollections, from Fenway subway stations in Boston to cosy milk tea shops on New York’s East eighth Road.”
Briefly, Olivia’s artistic journey on this challenge stands as a testomony to the artistry of reminiscence. “Each visible component was meticulously crafted to seize the essence of every location and reminiscence, fostering an unbreakable bond with cherished clients.
“All of the whereas, I remained true to the model’s environmental-friendly ethos, embodying a dedication to sustainability in utilizing discarded paper as the primary materials in my design.”
