Design: Classy Mum

Still Got It

To name this perfume I began by mind mapping words associated with the audience and the feelings that are sold through the perfume. The name that I have stuck with is Classy Mum.

Reference Ads


To illustrate the point that audience is more important than product in the perfume industry I am going to design 3 packages that wear their intentions on their chest rather than covering it in french words and perceived heritage.

This package is going to be based on higher end perfumes that are generally aimed at older audience with higher income and who are more interested in elegance and class than making a bold statement or promiscuity.

Using the mood boards I put together for each made up perfume I am going to design I began with 'Classy Mum', a perfume that is aimed at females over the age of 40 that have probably got kids/ responsibility and only have the opportunity to go out once in a while so want a scent that is a bit more special than your daily use stuff.
Taking inspiration from Dior and Dolce&Gabanna this packaging is predominantly gold with minimal type/ clutter.


I used Gill Sans to communicate heritage, reliability and trustworthy craftsmanship.

Tweaking the letterforms to make it lock tighter as a logo

I thought using an 'i' instead of 'y' would give it a bit of european class, however I think it confuses the point of the project a bit.

Testing the logotype

By putting the logo on a stock image that is similar to the identity of the perfume I could see if the type suited it.

I added legal info on the back of the pack for authenticity, I also added a small paragraph that summed up the point of the product saying:

'Disclaimer: No added benefits are promised any interpretation of benefits gained from using 'the special occasion' is purely down to consumer assumption. This is just some fragrant chemicals in a fancy box.'

I had some trouble sourcing stock images to use for the adverts as they are quite expensive for large sizes, by scouring the free image sites I have managed to find images that communicate the message that is associated with the product.

Double page Spread

Single page advert

GIFT BAG

BOX NET

PAPER STOCK ELEMENTS

These paper inserts will fit inside the top of the perfume box and the strips are to be used as testers.

Summary/ Evaluation

I'm happy with the overall aesthetic of the high end perfume, I think that it typically takes the signifiers that are used by Dolce&Gabanna and Dior to target a more mature audience with higher disposable income. 

If I were to extend this project I could look into which celebrities would fit the stereotypical identity of this product. I could also look into point of sale displays and window displays that would appear in stores such as John Lewis and Harvey Nicholls. Pushing the brief even further video promotion could be developed for online campaigns etc. 

Mood Boards

Reference

To aid with designing three perfume packages that put audience before product I have collected a range of imagery for each that I think define a specific market. 

When I have designed the form and aesthetics of each product I will name them according to the people who I think are being targeted with the product.

Budget - Aesthetics

Research graph

After conducting some interviews. questionnaires I noticed that an older audience spends more money on perfume and also opts for a more muted and mature colour palette. In order to visualise the range of products available based on budget I have plotted a variety of perfumes against price and aesthetics. 

To keep it even I have used the R.R.P for 100ml of each perfume.

Questionnaire results: Infograph

Review

After receiving 26 responses to the questionnaire I have organised the results into an infograph to show the general findings.

The results gained from the questionnaire, for the most part, confirmed what I predicted. There is a definite correlation between age, and brand, aesthetics and money spent. Interestingly, nearly all participants from the older age ranges were adamant that celebrities didn't influence their buying decisions, whereas the younger participants were well aware that they were influenced by celebrity. And also the older participants spent almost double that of the younger ones.

I have removed the results for the question that asked the participant to pick the perfume advertised they would pick for themselves as the adverts I chose didn't represent a clear enough contrast between age as they were all sourced from the same magazine. 

It would have been good to get more results from a younger audience as I think the opinions of advertising and  packaging would have contrasted a lot with the older participants.

Overall there are some interesting results, especially the correlation between 'common colours and brands' and 'age', and also 'ideal scent' and 'age'.

Primary Research

Questionnaire

I will get responses from this questionnaire from an audience of varied age and background. I would predict that a younger audience would think that advertising doesn't affect them and are more susceptible to celebrity based advertising, whereas an older audience are aware that advertising effects them but they are not influenced by celebrity.

I have also asked what the physical fragrance of their favourite perfume is to see if there is any correlation between aesthetics and smell.

Female targeted Questionnaire 

Male targeted questionnaire

Glamour Adverts, December 2013

Scans from Glamour

As Chanel's legacy is one of the most famous their adverts do not need any associated imagery as when you see the brand and colour of perfume is enough for the viewer to know what it signifies.

Peachy colours and a young model target this advert towards a late teens early twenties audience.

Gwyneth Paltrow represents a successful woman reaching the middle of her life and ageing gracefully, an aspiratory figure for women as old or older than herself.

There is an element of myth added to this advert as it is held in a delicate way as if it is a potion, this is also reinforced by the glow.

The two main routes for men's advertising is either 'this is classy' or 'this will make you attractive', this is a good example of a classy, suave and sophisticated advert.

This advert had a thick plastic page which made the magazine fall open on it.

I'd say this is one of the weakest adverts in the magazine as it is unclear who it is for and what the different colours mean.

Out of all the adverts, this by Issey Miyake is my favourite, because it puts focus on the fragrance and craftsmanship of the fragrance itself rather than trying to attach a specific meaning to it. 

Thierry Mugler uses mythic names, imagery and bottle shape to attach an other worldly edge to his products

Dual advert, aimed at both men and women