SPOTIFY SCENTS

Perfume Packaging Design

3rd Year - 4 Weeks

Fun brand extension to explore the world of visual communication and package design.

For the final project of this elective, we were prompted to choose a unique combination of an existing company and a generic consumer product to design a branded package.

As a music lover, the synesthetic concept that fragrances have various “notes” and “moods” much like musical compositions and genres, dawned on me. Spotify should have a fragrance line.

BRAND RESEARCH

“Music for everyone. Soundtrack your life.”

— Spotify

Values: Innovative, collaborative, sincere, passionate and playful.

Working with Collins in 2015, Spotify took a bold turn in the direction of vibrant duo-tone colours, photography and contemporary shapes. This transformation brought Spotify to life and made the brand instantly identifiable, giving it a look that reflected the way music feels.

“When a song profoundly resonates with you, what happens? You cry. You cheer. You scream. You laugh. Or, as we put it, you burst with emotion. Our brand identity system aimed to be the visual corollary to this ‘bursting’ experience.” — Collins

PRODUCT RESEARCH

Even though most people will buy a perfume based on how it smells, the package sends subconscious cues that can influence their decision. It must be a reference point for what you are about to smell and portray the product inside more powerfully than other products because most people cannot intuitively describe complex scents.

The purpose of the package is to convey information about the designer, the scent experience, how it’s distinguished from the rest of the fragrance line, and the feeling of luxury or exclusivity.

**For this project, we were asked to design a simple 6-sided box to focus on the 2D elements rather than the 3D design of the box.

IDEATION

I began exploring different layouts of the front cover since this is what grabs a buyer’s attention. By incorporating Spotify’s visual identity, branding guidelines, and peer feedback, I ended up with two strong potential layouts.

I opted to continue with the center-aligned version for a more eye-popping, bold look that best captures Spotify’s values. I developed the complete box layout and dieline by considering the user experience, referencing existing perfume boxes, and building off my established grid.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

I then began developing the graphical elements, referencing fragrance wheels and Spotify’s vibrant duotone colour style to establish the feel of each scent in the product line. Afterwards, I experimented with different graphics for each perfume, inspired by existing Spotify art that is simple, contemporary, and playful.