Creating a brand concept out of African divine entities that defines a whole Ghanaian culture and ethnicity is a huge responsibility. Because the main goal and the depictions of sacred deities for the purpose of making a product, must be understood by the community who honour and recognize them. It must be emphasized that the motive is only purely for paying tribute and to give a sense of celebration out of respect and reflection from the culture. Extensive research took placed in order to create this afrocentric inspired fragrance brand. The cologne’s unique shape and packaging were rendered from the goddesses, “Oshun (River goddess), Oya (Nature goddess), Asaase Ya (Earth goddess)” in which contextually, they are revered for their elemental powers, beauties, essence, and aura. The design of the packaging and the concept of the cologne s heavily driven by them and their characteristics in their own right. Reflecting their respective values, individuality, distinctions culturally and ethnically.
The initial stages were to gather inspirations for our deity bottles. We wanted to stay true and faithful for the design of each cologne. Essentially, each has to be distinctive from one another to emphasize their individual essence, but at the same time they form a unified brand. We looked at specific art in Ghana, tribal patterns, and their visual language to understand and emulate their art style. At the end phases, we arrived at a combined brand identity, free of gender innuendos with unique but antique-based, and detail-oriented but modernized clean design. The constructed 3D models of the bottle and packaging gave this tribe-influenced brand, a very unique and faithful renditions.
The unique design of the bottles’ body and cap, way of application, sleek packaging, and clean organic graphical elements embodied each goddesses’ aura and essence perfectly. The earthenware inspired shape and structure of the bottle and its rounded semicircular form is a reflection of Ghanaian pottery and art form. Each have a simple and unified silhouette, but also distinct to one another. The crystallized glass material is a reflected tribute for the gods. The smooth pastel colour palette gave each deity their very own tangible brand and identity. With all these design elements forged together, they evoke a sense of familiarity with the essence of sacredness and divinity gifted by the gods.
