Ok, well maybe not five thousand, but it sure feels that way when you are creating a new product from scratch. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post (My Top Secret Project), I am creating a new creme, my masterpiece. It’s so coveted that my beta testers threatened to come to my house and take my personal jar off my bathroom vanity and keep it for themselves!
As an artisan skincare maker, it’s nice to know that your work is appreciated and will be well received, BUT there are so many other decisions that go into the creation to make it a success.
For example, the jar we are using for our new creme was like finding a needle in a haystack. I searched packaging websites for over a year to get just the right one, because I want you to love the packaging and presentation as much as the actual creme itself. I want it to be a jewel on your vanity. It felt like picking out a wedding dress, you just “knew” when it was the right one.
Next came naming the product. Sounds simple, right? NOT!! I had a short list of names that I really liked, but after some internet searching, I found they were already in use, so back to the drawing board. The name we did end up with (which I will announce in the next newsletter) was created by Mr. Celtic Complexion and is perfect in it’s simplicity and grandeur.
Once the name is selected, the font and box design was designed. I got inspiration from everywhere and looked at dozens of font designs but even when you like a design, it may not work with the jar, or in print, so several were tested and then we selected the one that most fit the feel of the product.
I had an artist create original artwork for the box and after many back and forth edits, she is perfect. Regal and voluptuous.
The elegant jeweled metal spoons (for application of the creme) were sourced and we found a mining company in Australia to send us the mookaite jasper (The fountain-of-youth crystal).
My fingerprint is all over this project – from the ingredients to the packaging and everything in between, so that’s why it takes such a long time to create it – because it’s not just my name on the label, it’s my reputation in the jar!