Skinn: A Sensory Revolution in Fragrance Packaging

Ning Li's Innovative Design Engages Tactile Communication

Ning Li's inspiration for Skinn stems from the belief that packaging should enrich the user’s experience and communicate the personality of products. The designer emphasizes the importance of engaging different senses in 'reading' packages. While sight is the primary sense used, the opportunity for tactile communication is significant when a package is held in the hands. The form and materiality of the packaging can provide a more affective experience that communicates to the consumer.

Skinn stands out from other packaging designs due to its unique use of visual-tactual language. The form and materiality of the packaging are used as tools for communicating an attribute of the product and conveying its intended target audience. The designer believes that the enhanced texture of a product can increase the consumer-product relationship and provide a more affective experience that communicates to the consumer.

The choice of material for the packaging is based on the universal understanding generated by touching or looking at a product. Hard, rough, or rigid characteristics are usually perceived as masculine, while smoothness, softness, and lightness are symbols of the feminine. Some materials' meanings relate to an environment rather than appearance, and these are considered gender-neutral. The packaging's materials were applied based on this understanding.

The name Skinn refers to the tactual language. Skin represents a transition between the outsides and insides. Just like skin to a human body is an organ that receives tactile sensory information and protects against injury, the skins of an object, or packaging, are not only a physical layer of protection but also the point of interface with users. Their surfaces convey the identity of an object and contain the experience of an object. With this tactile interaction, the user can get an intuitive feeling of the products.

Skinn was started in September 2015 and finished in May 2016 in New York City. It was exhibited in the Pratt Show in May 2016. The design was awarded Golden in A' Packaging Design Award in 2017, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom.