Crit Feedback: 20 Oct

I.C.O.N. India Oil

The Brief: “I.C.O.N. came to us with the task of creating a sub-brand for their new Moringa oil based products that would have a feeling all its own, while still feeling in line with the overall I.C.O.N. brand. We created the packaging for India as an extension of the main brand – the same foundation of clean lines and type remain, but the blacks, grays and whites are replaced with warm browns and rich golds. Ornate Indian patterns add a touch of old-fashioned detail to the completely contemporary brand. The three new products are each packaged within a custom box to further highlight the sub-brand. They are also available in a special 3-pack box with windows highlighting each product.”

Remarkable Remedy

Designed by: Kylie-Ann Homer, Sadie Hines-Dedman & Senwelo Foster
Institution: Kingston University
Country: United Kingdom

“Rosy Lee’s Remarkable Remedy are soluble tea pills, which were created in order to illustrate the medicinal qualities of tea. Tea is often used to relieve the stresses and strains of everyday life, and Rosy Lee’s allows for a quick release in the form of 5 soluble tablets that will dissolve in boiling water to create a relieving brew. Rosy Lee’s comes in three varying strengths to suit different needs, the coloured dot on the packaging signifies the strength of the tea.”

Countless Tiny Bubbles

The Brief: “Self-initiated project. Countless Tiny Bubbles is a brand created for homemade soap. The concept for it’s packaging is based on the mysteries during the products creation and use, whereby seemingly by magic the soap dissolves when in use by turning into countless tiny bubbles. This chemical process is sometimes a mystery to the everyday person, hence the pattern on the homemade soap packaging shows smooth stains in a haze which is reflects the overall chemical process associated with soap. The wax-seal motif adds another dimension of texture, making it stand out on the shelf and attractive for potential buyers.”

Denis Carroll

From the designer: “A range of organic beauty products with volcanic minerals and aromatic essences. The pattern I created is representative of volcanic sedimentary layers. It is used with variations of colour across the range. In turn, the product colour is representative of the aromatic essence inside.”


I really admire the colours used, and the pattern created is mesmerising. I also like how even though the designs seem busy, and are certainly vibrant, they are actually quite minimal. The continuation across different forms of packaging is also something to draw inspiration from. I love the way the visuals are applied to both a box and the label.

The Body Shop: Winner

Graphics: Packaging Design
Sponsor: The Body Shop
Brief: Design a contemporary range of packaging for The Body Shop that unites their brand values with the premium nature of the products.The Body Shop will offer one winning student a placement in their creative department.

Little White Lies, No. 36 (The Skin I Live In)

I own the physical copy of this edition, but I found the digital version on line so I thought it would be useful to jump back to in the future.

Little White Lies, No. 7 (Volver)

I remember vaguely seeing this issue of Little White Lies promoted online when it was first released, and knowing that I must purchase it. The issue itself is beautifully laid out and I have always appreciated the approach of this unique little film magazine. However it wasn't until now that I would also very much appreciate a feature in the magazine. I lifted a quote from page 42 that will benefit my dissertation greatly:

'The promotional posters used by Pedro Almodovar are as bold and timeless as the films to which they are attached. No dull drop off spot for the jubilant quotes of the critics, they are an extension of the films, offering insight into their content, style and tone. Their influences range from Lichtenstein to Warhol to Picasso to Braque. The approach to the designs evolved from the heavy handed caricatures and bright colours of the early '80's to the robust, angular style of the '90's. As the years roll by, the images become more austere, more focused and more iconic.'


Jenkins, D., 2006. 'Colour Me Sexy'. Little White Lies; The Volver Issue, no. 7. pp 42-49.

Church Of London

The Brief: THE ALMODOVAR COLLECTION
Optimum Releasing commissioned The Church of London to produce original artwork for the re-release of eight Pedro Almodóvar classics.

Women on the Verge: DVD Artwork

I realised that I own a few of examples of Church of London's Almodovar redesigns so I decided to capture first hand imagery of my favourite Almodovar filmd DVD; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un Ataque de Nervios). I love the graphics on the front, with the characters faced placed in a blender surrounded by Gazpacho. It perfectly combines a key plot line from the film with the all round frantic nature of the female characters. If I can think of something just an ounce as clever as this I will be happy.

The Skin I Live In

All the below information is taken from the Guardians website. To view the article in its original form click here. 

Poster notes: The Skin I Live In Paul Owen talks to Juan Gatti, who has been collaborating with Pedro Almodóvar since 1988, about his disturbing poster for the Spanish director's The Skin I Live In.






Juan Gatti has been working with Pedro Almodóvar since 1988, but his teaser poster for The Skin I Live In, the baroque Spanish director's new film, marks a significant departure for the Argentinian graphic designer.

Gatti's earlier work was indebted to Saul Bass and Andy Warhol, sometimes wittily so; compare Gatti's titles for Volver, in which thick rectangular lines form themselves into tableclothes and wallpaper patterns, with Bass's classic expressionistic opening sequence for The Man with the Golden Arm, or his posters for Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (aka Átame) with some of Bass's most celebrated work, particularly his unforgettable advert for Anatomy of a Murder.

As for the Warhol influence, Gatti's poster for Volver, with its bright, non-realist blocks of colour, recalls the Pittsburgh artist's famous portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Ingrid Bergman, particularly in the composition, and the subject's artificially pale skin tone and unnaturally bright lips.

Gatti's principal poster for The Skin I Live In is reasonably straightforward – even artlessly so. Antonio Banderas leans over the shoulder of Elena Anaya, whose face is wrapped in a plastic surgical mask. Two red scars or guide markings for a surgeon can be seen running down her neck, adding to the disturbing mood. Banderas's brown eyes stare just beyond the camera; Anaya's right into it. He looks determined and sinister, she frightened and nervous. Gatti makes the film's title appear much clearer and more in focus than the photograph it rests upon – an attractive touch. But the red-lettered cast list – the same font used to much better effect for the movie's titles and intertitles – is slightly unreadable, as are both instances of Almodóvar's name.

Much more interesting and successful is the teaser poster Gatti has produced for the film (above). Set out so as to recall the title page of a book, the poster features on its right-hand side only the director's credit and the name of the film, with every word capitalised in a self-consciously literary fashion. On the left is a very Victorian image: a standing human body seen from the back, its skin removed to reveal its muscles, an image that cannot help but also remind one, today, of the controversial exhibitions of Gunther von Hagens. In style and execution it is straight out of an 18th or 19th century anatomy textbook, yet around the body Gatti has placed images that would not be out of place in a botanical guide from the same era – enormous winding flowers and ferns as tall as the figure itself – as well as the incongruous images of a giant butterfly and a pink flamingo, this last almost the same colour as the muscles of the human body beside it.

It's an unsettling, unexpected image, executed very faithfully in its ultra-retro style, and combined with the film's title provokes a horrifying question in the viewer: where is the skin this person lives in? The poster's light-tan background colour could easily be meant to resemble aged, yellowing paper from a bygone era ... or it could be the skin this poor figure is missing.

I asked Gatti why he enjoyed collaborating with Almodóvar, for whom he has created 11 posters. "What I like about working with Pedro is that I really like what he does and he is generally very clear on what he wants," he said. "Sometimes we have disagreements – [we can both be] obsessive and stubborn – but these differences eventually enrich the final product."

He said that the teaser poster was indeed "a collage I made from images of anatomy, botany and science books of the 18th and 19th century". As for the main poster, Gatti said he wanted "more than anything [for it to] be attractive and not to distort the tone and the intention of the film", and said he felt it "transmitted a disturbing feeling, intriguing and somewhat perverse".

He added: "Generally I try to define and translate in images the intention, tone and message that the director wants without distorting it."

Gatti is usually responsible for all the graphic elements of the film, including appropriate props and decorations – a version of the flayed-body image can be seen in Banderas's office at one point in the film – the main titles, the poster, and "promotional items". His only brief is the script itself. In its own way, his teaser poster for The Skin I Live In is as disturbing, transgressive and inventive as the film that inspired it.

Almodovar Inspired Design

Whilst looking for contemporary graphic design that has relevance to my Almodovar project I came across the following accessory. It is a proposed iPhone case with a portrait of Pedro and Penelope Cruz. I'm not sure I entirely understand the concept, I mean it seems a bit random, and thats coming from me. However, if I am to take it purely as a piece of design I do like the visual style. The soft grey style of illustration combined with an almost pastel circle is subtle yet packs a punch. I like the idea and will definitely draw inspiration from the visuals, but not the random application to an iPhone case.

Fasciculo Coleccionable: Pedro Almodovar

I was slightly hesitant as to whether I should post this after I stumbled across it, as it bears a large resemblance to a finished product I am aiming for. However, it is very helpful in terms of appropriate colour schemes and showing how successfully you can combine type and image. I like the designs, but do think if I put my all into my own project, my resolutions could be more visually engaging and have a greater wow factor. Nevertheless, below are a few page scans from a booklet dedicated to the women in Pedro Almodovar's films.

Little Miss Sunshine

I came across this DVD redesign on Behance and even though I'm not blown away by the design work, I think the concept is pretty smart and it represents the film in question very well. The colour scheme used is both reminiscent of road signs, used heavily in the designs, and the film itself, bearing a resemblance to the colour of the camper van the family use to travel in. Additionally the way in which the sleeve slides off and you are left with what resembles a road map, even right down to the vertical way in which it opens, is clever. And the use of a road sign 'key' as the chapter breakdown is also inspired. There are many little design flares about the DVD that make it smart and successful at its job, I just think the execution of the final resolution could have been a little more professional. 

Growth & Pattern

I'm not entirely sure what it is about this design that makes me like it so much. I think its the simplicity of using a clear box, and placing an intricate design underneath. This gives it a modern and almost minimal feel, yet remaining bold and eye catching. The layout of type on the reverse could be slightly more interesting, and perhaps a few different weights of the font could have been used. Nevertheless the design works and adds another way of thinking to the DVD packaging universe.

Film Fonts

Even thought the piece of design below is not exactly linked to my packaging brief, the subject matter is incredibly relevant. The idea itself is a small document that documents 22 fonts from 22 films, of which there is a wide range. On one particular page is the font used in Almodovar's feature 'Talk to Her' or 'Hable con Ella'. This is useful as it opens a typographic avenue for me to explore with my design practice. If I could find the fonts used in all his films I could use them to my advantage to design a well considered resolution. However this may prove more challenging when designing for his much older films. That information may not be available to me, but it is definitely something to consider.

This is What You're Looking For

The Brief: A DVD which promotes Cornwall's touring theatre companies - with custom typography. The package was printed in 2 colour (one of which being silver) on uncoated, recycled stock.


Again, this particular piece of design is not closely linked to mine, but I just admire the stock choices, colour scheme and the experimental typography. It's definitely something that will act as a reference in the future.

Style Wars

Brief: This is a re-design for the DVD packaging of the film 'Style Wars'. It's a documentary about the birth of graffiti and hip-hop in New York in the mid 1980's. My concept was to convey the feeling of the time period and location through color and texture. The black & white photography symbolizes the grit and bleak tone of the projects and the color symbolizes the hope and positivity that hip-hop brought to the community, particularly the youth.

Eddie Izzard DVD Boxset

This is an interesting piece of design. I'm not entirely sure of its success in promoting its subject matter to its intended target audience. For example to me Eddie Izzard seems like a wild and extrovert type comedian, but the graphics seen on each DVD sleeve is minimal and the colours used are very muted and subtle. I feel there could have been more contrast between colours and more excited visuals could have been used. However, the package does succeed in housing multiple DVD cases and seems sturdy enough, so in terms of structural success it seems to have been achieved. Perhaps with a little more consideration into design and composition it could have been better.

Antique Packaging

In order to give me a kick start with my second packaging brief I took a trip to the library to find the most fascinating book on packaging. There were many options but one entitled 'Antique Packaging' caught my eye the most. It is a book full of pictures, both product shots and macro shots. There is very little text and the examples are split into simple categories such as 'pharmacy' and 'tobacco'. Below are a few of my favourite pages from the book, however this is only a very small selection. I think I could have scanned the whole thing in there are that many examples I loved.

LWL: Drive