Nomadia Candles Packaging Design
Academic Project | 2024 | Packaging Design & Copywriting
Scented candles are rarely purchased out of necessity. They’re usually chosen to enhance a favourite space or give as a gift to someone special. This project asked me to design conceptual packaging for a candle that was inspired by the scents of Dubai, and before I even started designing, I thought about what I wanted to achieve. I noticed that most candles are displayed on store shelves without a box. How could I use my design to make this candle stand out on the shelf when customers couldn’t experience its scent until after they’d taken it home?
I decided that rather than simply describing the product, I would use a sort of poetic storytelling to inspire the customer to feel like they were being invited on a journey. My goal was to invite them to imagine the destination before they even opened the box.
The smoky notes of oud beckon you into a land where city lights meet ancient sands. Notes of rich amber and vanilla envelop you in their warm glow, while a whisper of exotic spice stirs the imagination, hinting at journeys yet to unfold.
The Strategy
My brief limited the design to two spot colours and a gold foil accent. Rather than treating those constraints as limitations, I used them to create a subtle palette inspired by desert sands and wisps of smoke.
The gold foil catches the light, adding some dimension and elegance to the minimalistic design. The Nomadia name is embossed on the top of the box without any added colour, creating a tactile moment that’s only noticed when it’s felt. Clean typography and generous negative space further reinforce the brand’s premium positioning.
The layout was designed as a flexible system, allowing colour, imagery, and copy to be adjusted for other products without compromising the brand’s visual consistency.
