Scent Stories: Unveil Your Signature Scent

Scent Stories – An Interactive Editorial Experience for Luxury Fragrances This project involved the conceptualization and design of a premium, A5-size publication featuring a curated selection of eight distinctive global perfumes. Created as a student project at the MIT School of Design, the book addresses the common problem of olfactory fatigue in high-end retail. Through a combination of strategic layout, elegant typography, and an interactive “Try Me” feature, this project sought to transform the chaotic fragrance shopping experience into a guided, luxurious sensory journey for affluent consumers.

Project Background

• Industry: Publication Design & Luxury Retail
• Category: Editorial Design, Interactive Print
• Context: Concept for Luxury Boutiques & VIP Lounges
• Target Audience: High-end consumers, VIP lounge guests, and affluent mall shoppers

Problem Statement Despite the premium nature of high-end boutiques, the fragrance selection process often struggles with:

❌ Olfactory Fatigue – Testing multiple perfumes on the wrist mixes scents, making it impossible to experience the true notes.

❌ Sensory Overload – Shoppers feel overwhelmed trying to choose when a dedicated consultant isn’t available.

❌ Lack of Context – Customers have no way to understand the scent’s story, mood, or profile before committing to a spray.

❌ Rushed Experience – Malls often lack a relaxed, educational approach to discovering a signature scent.

Concept Summary

• Retail Observation: Identified that luxury consumers in VIP lounges or mall changing rooms have downtime that could be utilized for relaxed product discovery.
• User Need: A mess-free, informative way to sample and learn about perfumes before spraying them on the skin.
• Key Concept: An interactive scent book that allows users to read the rich narrative of a fragrance and test it directly from the page at their own pace.

Project Goals

✔ Design a clean, two-page spread to maintain a premium luxury aesthetic.

✔ Utilize full-bleed imagery to evoke emotional impact and set the mood for each fragrance.

✔ Establish a strong visual hierarchy and elegant typography for readability and brand tone.

✔ Integrate a “Try Me” call-to-action to bridge print design and physical product testing.

✔ Elevate the retail journey into a slow, luxurious storytelling experience.

Solutions Designed

➜ A5 Publication Format – An intimate, easy-to-handle size perfect for lounge settings and personal reading.

➜ Interactive “Try Me” Section – A designated space on the page (for infused strips or patches) to test the scent, preventing mixed sprays on the skin.

➜ Organized Content Layout – The left page is dedicated to emotional visual storytelling, while the right page is reserved for structured fragrance notes, pricing, and details.

➜ Consistent Editorial Flow – A cohesive grid and layout structure applied across all eight featured perfumes to build a professional, publication-quality flow.

Tools Used

➜ Adobe InDesign

➜ Adobe Illustrator

➜ Adobe Photoshop