The NY Product Design Awards has concluded its first competitive season for 2023 and has announced its winners. With over 850 entries, the competition determined winners by examining the submitted works and how they improved people’s daily lives.
Out of the many hopeful entrants, SCENT OF AFRICA landed a win with a Gold award. This also marks quite an impressive feat for the entirety of Ghana, and for the perfume industry in Africa for achieving such a milestone! The winning work was founded by Tanal Ghandour with Bottle Design by Kurt Merki Jr and Branding & Packaging by Stéphanie Gazel. SCENT OF AFRICA said, “We are extremely proud to receive this award as we express our gratitude to the NY Product Design Awards organisation for providing such a prestigious platform to showcase our product to a wider audience.”
With the aim of honouring and promoting product designers whose works make the world a better place, the NY Product Design Awards were created. The competition opens its doors to both professionals and enthusiasts and spotlights the importance of product design, as the consumption of goods becomes more complex than ever with the world becoming more integrated and connected.
International Awards Associate (IAA) had brought on numerous industry professionals to be jurors, with the intention of guaranteeing impartiality and enforcing strict standards of assessment. The jury was tasked with identifying stellar works amongst the submissions and honouring these works with an award and recognition, in the hopes that by doing so it would elevate the industry’s benchmark of excellence. IAA also received nominations from prestigious professionals for consideration as jurors.
SCENT OF AFRICA is a fine fragrance house made in Ghana. The perfumes are made locally, and are infused with African ingredients to shine a spotlight on Africa to the world.
SCENT OF AFRICA’s Eternal Legends Collection pays tribute to the continent by drawing its inspiration from legends in African mythology. It represents a contemporary interpretation of these traditions. The ambition for the bottle design is to interpret and showcase Africa and its roots in a modern and unique way while respecting the refinement codes of luxury. This bottle is an architectural totem that stands proud. It is a pure avant-garde design with its silhouette standing out like a sculpture. The bottle and cap extend and form a whole, a vision supported by the colours in graduated shading to unify the glass and the cap’s material. This highlights the precious juices revealed at the transparent base of the bottles. When it is looked at from above, the map of Africa can be glimpsed, which looks as if it is projected above the sphere of the Earth, embodied by the bottle’s body.
Each detail has been crafted so that the focus is not on the technique but the design, whether the olfactory or visual aspect. As such, the mechanism for the spray is hidden in the glass neck and the stem reaching down into the perfume cannot be seen thanks to a patented innovation.
As the brand’s fundamental value is “Who I am is where I am from”. It invites people to reconnect with their origins. It is an encouragement to get to know one’s roots, to be proud of them and celebrate one’s history. The logo and sign are inspired by the Sankofa symbol, which features a bird turning its head to look towards its tail, signifying “back to your roots” in the Akan language of Ghana. A contrasted gold & black signature full of meaning.
With the submission that truly wooed the hearts of the jury, SCENT OF AFRICA emerged victorious amongst the plethora of competitors.
“As always, the NY Product Design Awards is proud to be a platform to showcase and honour excellent designers’ works, such as Scent of Africa. As the level of competition continues to increase year after year, we are excited to see more great works come in over time” Thomas Brandt, spokesperson of the IAA said.
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