SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:
Rigid Box/Product Design, 3D Modeling/Animation, Visual Identity
Thera
Thera is a limited luxury fragrance, evoking the fresh and transcendent essence of the aether. The aether, being the fifth element, meaning pure or fresh air, represents the essence of the fragrance, of existence. The different elements of existence, although opposing, subsist in tandem and sustain each other.
Thera’s bottle and brand design combine angular and flowing lines, evoking a sense of both fluidity and sharp precision. This juxtaposition evokes the overall significance of Thera; the bringing together of the ancient and the futuristic, the feminine and the masculine, the organic and the synthetic.
Inspiration
My main motivation for the design behind Thera is my overall interest and appreciation for "cybersigilism." What I appreciated most about this style was the beauty and tactility of the shapes, as well as how it feels both elegant and avant-garde at the same time. It felt like a perfect jumping-off point for a luxury packaging project.
The name Thera comes from the word "aether," which is what informed the main themes of this project. My goal with the logotype was to reflect the design of the packaging in that it combines both angular and flowing lines. While the initial iteration achieved this goal, I wanted to push the motif further by breaking the baseline with the "R" and A's" connector. The added artifacts within the "H" and "E" also help call back to the packaging design as well as adding balance to the overall composition.
Workflow
With the implementation of cybersigilism into this project comes intricate shapes. Rather than model and sculpt each individual shape in Blender, I used Illustrator's 3D materials tool to export my vector as a file readable by Blender. Each individual mesh is still editable and I am able to change the material of the mesh, so this method was perfect for my workflow.
Product Animation
While my previous packaging project involving Blender produced beautiful still renders, I wanted to push it further with this project by creating a fully animated product video. Taking inspiration from other 3D artists and product photographers/videographers, I created this product video to showcase the "reveal" of the product and the interaction of the rigid box. This was an incredibly satisfying way of showing the intention of the design and the intricacy of the details I implemented in the design.
Reflection
I am overall incredibly satisfied with how I executed my vision for this project. Looking back, I can imagine how this product would work incredibly well in a tiered system, with different sizes and scents changing the intricacy and spectacle of the chrome pieces. I would love to revisit this idea some time to explore how I could fit this design into different molds. Looking ahead, I can envision many offshoots of this brand, including accessories, jewelry, and apparel. The possibilities with this design style are really endless. I am currently in the process of producing this bottle using 3D-printed materials.
