Sithean CBD

Branding and Packaging design by Chloe Flanders

*Tools used:* ***Adobe Photoshop*** *and* ***Illustrator***

project overview

Sithean CBD is a skincare subscription box service based out of Parkersburg, West Virginia. A brand new business, Sithean was looking to build their brand from scratch while remaining budget-conscious, with the plan of expanding to full-sized products in the future.

my role: branding and packaging designer

moodboarding
packaging research
sketching
logotype
design
product photos

mood boarding

Sithean’s products are infused with CBD oil, so we explored botanical themes that didn’t heavily lean into the groovy, marijuana trope. I was inspired by the ornateness of Victorian book covers and illustrations, as well as the risograph style of layered printing. Organic shapes was the overall theme that emerged when searching for inspiration.

logotype

My goal for the logotype was to keep it simple and natural. I was particularly drawn to serif fonts in this case. Experimenting with different brushes in Illustrator and creating more organic shapes within the letters became a recurring theme I explored.

These became the top logotypes to choose from later on. In the first, I created a leafy vine to replace the crossbars in h-e-a. The second two are focused on transforming the e and a into complementary leaf outlines.

branding

Looking back to the mood board, I decided to create a pattern inspired by the Victorian book covers. First, I created shapes in Illustrator using the pen and shape tools. Some shapes I free-handed, others I traced over reference pictures.

The next step was to put the pieces together. Through trial and error, I created pattern variations made of the shapes I had just drawn.

example of a pattern variation

final pattern before color

final pattern with color

The presentation of the color palette was also influenced by the mood board. I was inspired by the risographic style of layered printing to layer shapes with lower transparency.

At this point, the client had not yet named the products they were selling. As they were brainstorming, they left me with a list of words that comprised of the feeling of being at ease.

I began experimenting with what it may look like to use these words as the naming system for the brand. After presenting this idea to the client, they were on board.

A postcard was to be included with the subscription box detailing the name of the products, what their uses were, and a list of ingredients.

packaging research

Among my tasks was printing research in order to find a quality printer that met the client’s budget needs. This was especially important on my end, this way I could accordingly start designing printing files for the correct sizes the printer may offer.

Shown are examples of the research I gathered and presented to the client to help reach a decision.

designing

It was challenging to design with the pattern considering I had to find a balance between simplicity and busy-ness. Along with that, a final logotype had not been set in stone, however I proceeded to produce a variation of designs to spark some inspiration.

I explored working within the pattern itself, along with creating assigned space for the logo and other information.

It was at this point, after more tinkering and free-handing with the pen tool, a final logotype was selected.

evolution of the design

I once again looked to our book covers from the mood board for solutions to find balance. A solid band seemed too contrasting in this case. Some mood board examples included designs and scenes within their bands, separate from the main design. I decided to try this, continuing the pattern in white onto the band. As a final touch, I added a half circle to the band to create space for the name of the product.