Packaging Revisited

I started my journey with moderate packaging. Those who joined early saw the simple box mailers, then printed paper boxes, followed by gift-wrapping paper, and most recently, some branded pouches. It wasn’t due to a lack of interest in packaging, but rather a conscious effort to allocate funds wisely. I chose to focus on delivering the most essential part of the experience without compromising on quality. Because no matter how fancy a box is, whatever it contains should be worth it. I wanted to work on the experience core first and build outward to the presentation. Having spent most of my career in art-tech startups, this is how my brain naturally works.

I then embarked on a journey to explore different box designs. I 3D-modeled them, sent them to various manufacturers, and had quite a few made as one-offs. My design considerations were:

Top us easy to identify from the bottom with a place dedicated for your fingers to grab the lid--perhaps texture, color change, or both.

Subtle design language—nothing extravagant—to complement the simple, minimalistic bottle shape and labels I intentionally chose.

Another design goal was to make the packaging as small as possible. To me, a box should protect in style. When the customer opens it, they should see a bottle with a label that clearly displays the name, the prominent notes, and the brand. I believe in maximizing that real estate—even if the box is small—so the customer doesn’t have to visit the website to read the notes.

With all this in mind, I created four box sizes: attar, 15ml, 30ml, and 50ml bottles.

While many manufacturers in China (yes, Alibaba) promised amazing results, most fell short in the details—except for one. I could discuss ideas directly with the manufacturing engineer: how to reduce or eliminate dents and bumps caused by the box finish and material, choosing between paper or soft-touch texture, foil vs. UV printing, foam and satin cloth for the interior, the bottle orientation, and even the placement of the brand name. After manufacturing a few prototypes, this is the design that went into production (after a few refinements).