In the Potion Design Project, we were tasked to imagine a potion with any function that is beneficial or solves a daily problem and design a bottle and its packaging based the potion. The feasiblilty of the potion is not a consideration, but rather how interesting concept is to the audience.
Design Process
I started by looking through bottles designs and their packagings in store and online. Composing my research, I moved onto brainstorming. After brainstorming for my problems and aspirations, I came up with five ideas (Empathy Bottle, Memory Potion, Good Vibes Potion Set, Healthy Lifestyle Hand Lotion, and Warm Up Lip Balm). Hearing the feedbacks from my peers, I decided with the Good Vibes Potion Set, the idea that everyone seemed to be the most interested in.
The Good Vibes Potion Set is a potion designed to give consumers the vibe that they would like to feel for a temporary period of time. Each drop of the potion means an hour of a positive emotion of their choice.
Starting from my initial sketch, I made a moodboard that captures the colors, concepts and photos associates good vibes.
With the moodboard and more research on uniquely designed containers and packagings, I moved on to designing the final product
Design Details
Droppers
After considering how it would be unnecessary to have a dropper for each feeling, I redesigned the droppers so that there would only be one dropper but multiple exchangable rubber heads that represents different moods. The moods are represented with small emoji labels on the part that attach the dropper heads to the dropper.
Package
Since I envisioned the material for the bottle to be glass or other similar thick but fragile material, I wanted the packaging to be reusable and protective. I also thought the packagings that could show what the bottle itself will look like, as the shape of the bottle is also a selling point. From there, I designed the packaging to be a case with a silicon protective shell and plastic transparant top.
Bottle
I wanted the bottle to look unique and communicates its functions easily through its design. With the initial sketch, although it does convey the idea of changing emotion with the emojies, it had a childish look that might not be appealing to older audiences. Browsing for inspiration, I found some flower vest with designs of faces and hands. Using them as references, I decided to change the main body of the bottle to a human face covered by its hands, so the emotion of the bottle of itself remains undetermined. Having the dropper heads attached to the top of the potion bottle, I thought a more appropriate way of applying the potions could be though applying them on the scalp as a scale serum.
Final Rendering
Reflection
As my first holistic independent product design project, I learned about the ideation, design reiteration, and human-centered design thinking process. In particular, I learned that:
Inspiration could be gathered by looking at existing products that serves similar functions. By collect all inspiring elements and composing them in a moodboard, I could have more visual aids that kickstarts my design process
Breaking through the confinement of the first sketch is important and necessary. I had difficulties thinking beyond my first idea and had to go back to the research phase to breakthrough the barrier.
Being critical about my work and keep on challenging existing concept takes the design to the next level. My initial render of the packaging was a paper box design. I continued to research for better alternative fearing that the current design wouldn't fit the bottle as desirably. When I looked for colorful patterns that I could use, I found an oil paint patter and had the idea then to change the paper part to silicon.