Cerulean July

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PROJECT TITLE :

Conceptualizing a signature scent from a fictional fragrance brand, starting from concept building, branding, bottle and label design to the final render.

Moodboard

I focused on compiling images of summer days, citrus fruits and feminine flowers, and simple packaging designs for the bottle. I chose references of soft, refined shades of olive green, lemon yellow and azure blue to visualize the warmer seasons of the year as well as the bright elegance of the aromas of fruit and flora.

*Disclaimer: Images used in this moodboard are sourced online, strictly for reference purposes. I do not own them, and all rights remain with their original creators.

I. IDEATION

Reference Sketch & Label Design

For the perfume bottle, I envisioned a simple cylinder shape with a shallow neck and glossy black cap, so as to create a shape that would fit naturally into one's hand as well as convey a modern elegance through the minimalistic material and silhouette.

Referencing renowned fragrance brands with unique packaging designs, I drafted the overall look and feel of the perfume bottle through a quick sketch using Procreate.

Reference Sketch

Label Design

II. MAIN MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Render Testing

While the shape and format of the bottle itself was in progress, I put together a demo for the render testing using a conventional shape of a typical glass bottle, applying different textures, materials, and colors to each component so that I would get a glimpse of what the final render might look like. I tried different alterations among the various components of the environment such as the lighting or environment settings, eventually settling with an HDRI with natural sunlight as well as a warm, marble-textured surface applied to the surrounding walls and floor.

Glass Bottle_Render Testing

II. MAIN MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Textures and Materials

As a good contrast to the warm lighting, I chose white marble textures that would give a mirror-like reflecting effect upon the surface where the bottles would be, to add a sense of freshness and serenity.

While maintaining the current settings for the transparency and glossiness of the bottle, I used extra layers of texture through normal or bump maps so as to give the surface a very subtle, naturally worn-down look.

Textures used on bottles, environment walls and floor. Assets purchased through Poliigon.com.

III. ENVIRONMENT BUILDING

Camera & Lighting

Rather than using a singular source for the key light, I decided to accompany the fill light (done with the HDRI) with two different spotlights aimed towards the center of the stage, so as to create depth and added brightness to the atmosphere. With one keylight heading towards the cap of the perfume bottle and another aiming a faint beam towards the back, I was able to highlight the distance between different objects while adding warm colors to the overall palette.

By placing empty bottles reusing the original model in the background and lowering the camera aperture, I added a more pronounced blur to the main subject's surroundings and brought the perfume bottle more into focus.

Camera & Lighting

III. ENVIRONMENT BUILDING

Final Render Testing:
Lighting and Materials

Once the models, environment and lighting were set in place, I temporarily removed the layers of materials, maps and textures and used Octane Render to preview the desired outcome of lighting and layouts. I applied a basic diffuse material to track the route of the beams of light as they traveled across the frame, as well as make sure the shadows cast by the light sources did not interfere with the focal point of the main subject.