Arlene Sy
Art + Illustration

Journal

My journey as an artist chronicled in life events, thoughts, and musings.

Sample Room Packaging Design (2014)

It's here, it's here! My brand collaboration with Sample Room is out, and I'm just gushing with happiness over how the final product looks! The output--a special edition pouch for Sample Room's exclusive premium brand launches--turned out exactly the way we envisioned: an illustrated room scene combining elements of a chic living room and beauty boutique. Rendered in pastel hues and evoking girly, shabby-chic style, this bag carried the beauty brand's personality.

Apart from client being so easy to work with, I was delighted with how the printer managed this project. I was a bit nervous because it's not often that I send my work for offset printing, so I was very cautious and meticulous with the way I prepared and sent the files to them. The result was just gorgeous, with the colors and quality coming out as intended! I wasn't sure what type of paper was used, but I loved that it wasn't too shiny, but had a nice silky touch to it.

In my previous WIP post, I shared part of the process that went into creating the artwork. Aside from using a finer brush to define the small details in the scene (which I thoroughly enjoyed), I really liked the way I was able to produce the colors I wanted using my humble Prang watercolor set. The digital enhancements (mostly tweaking shadows, highlights, brightness, and exposure) followed after I scanned and stitched together the left and right parts of the scene.

Client also requested I render their logo and social media icons in watercolor, so I provided separate artwork layers for those, and incorporated them into the Adobe Illustrator file for the printer's use.

After sending the final files for printing, I eagerly waited for Sample Room to send me my copy of the final printed samples. When I finally received the package, it came with a lovely surprise inside--they gave me my very own set of Burt's Bees products! I was jumping with happiness. (I'm a big fan, and I'm even currently alternating between two of their shampoos at the moment, teehee.)

Client sent me another package the following week, this time containing the smaller version of the pouch. (Isn't the tiny one so, so cute?!?) I learned that they were sending the small bag to their members for the launch of their GlamGlow collaboration.

Sample Room is "the Philippines' first ever beauty and lifestyle sampling website. It is an interactive community that offers free samples, localized product reviews, and where all beauty lovers are valued." Interested to learn more? Visit their website at sampleroom.ph. Check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and catch up with them using the hashtag #SampleRoomPH!