Caftari

Neuroscents for happier, healthier lives.

Caftari is a line of luxury candles that are formulated to create daily moments of mindfulness using aromacology. The founder, Shreya, came to us with a vision build a brand that put the science at the forefront, but in a way that felt sophisticated and stylish.

featured in:

Dieline "Best in Packaging" 2024 Awards  /  Oprah Daily  /  W Magazine  /  PopSugar  /  Beauty Independent  /  Design Milk

Services:

Brand Identity

Product Packaging

Shopify Website

Social Media Graphics

Behind the Brand

Caftari’s goal was to be known as a luxury self-care brand that helps people create a more balanced, stress-free life through the power of science and aromacology. But the candle industry is crowded, so we knew that we needed to very clearly differentiate their products through the brand and packaging. Through our competitor analysis, we discovered that not many other brands weren’t really leaning into the science aspect of their products. Most competitors opted for a more generic, aesthetically pleasing design that looked beautiful, but the science messaging was getting lost.

So our main focus was to find a way to merge science and style in a clever way.

Could we design a brand experience that put the science and impact of each fragrance at the forefront, BUT also still felt beautiful enough for anyone to want to place on their nightstand or bathroom counter? And could we do all of this in a way that felt different than the many other candle brands out there? Setting Caftari up for a successful launch as an innovative new voice within the industry that would attract retailers.

Our design solution was to create a custom brainwave pattern for each fragrance that represents how the scent influences our neurochemistry. This felt like a perfect way to:

Reference the science behind the products.
Give customers a sense of how each candle will impact their mood in different ways.
Make the candle packaging stand out on a shelf.

We incorporated these patterns as a subtle engraved detail on the product packaging and candle vessels, as well as a “C” monogram logo.

Taking the Experience Online

After the packaging was complete, we needed to plan how we could weave this thoughtful brand experience into Caftari’s Shopify website. We used the Combine theme as a starting point and added custom code to build a website that felt unique and engaging. Shreya’s primary concern was that launching with a small number of SKUs would make the website feel like it was lacking. So we focused on using design and animated elements to bring each page to life. These are a few of our favorite details of the site: