MAGMA Essence Branding

"Power can be silent. Heat can be invisible. True identity burns from within, not through noise, but through presence."

MAGMA Essence is a conceptual fragrance branding project inspired by primal energy and the quiet power of transformation. The brand explores the connection between heat, identity, and form, a fragrance that embodies intensity without chaos.

The visual direction centers on the contrast between raw earth and refined design. Textures of volcanic rock and liquid fire meet minimal, monolithic packaging that feels sculpted rather than manufactured. Every frame is designed to convey tension between restraint and eruption, the calm before ignition.

Silhouetted portrait in red and black lighting

Person in white hoodie against a red background

Perfume bottle resting over glowing lava

Silhouetted figure in red and shadowed light

Male model in fiery red detailed clothing

Molten lava texture beneath campaign titles

Magma title layout with minimalist typography

Photo Direction and Issue Focus

When I started working with the magazine, it had an established template that the editorial team was committed to maintaining. Within that framework I wanted to suggest changes to make the publication feel more dynamic and engaging.

I polled colleagues, faculty and alumni about whether they could identify any particular previous issues. The one reliably remembered was "the women's issue," featuring all-female story subjects.

So with my first issue as art director, I successfully pitched two changes: a dramatic redirection away from the strict posed headshot photos throughout every issue and a magazine-wide topical focus. I hired photographers with the skills I needed to capture action oriented images that grabbed attention and visually told our stories. I worked with editorial to identify broad topics to focus storytelling in each issue. This was the result:

Photo Direction and Topics

I polled colleagues, faculty and alumni about whether they could identify any particular previous issues. The one reliably remembered was "the women's issue," featuring all-female story subjects.

Before

After

Visual and Editorial Redesign

Building on these successful marginal changes, the team conducted a series of audience focus groups and comparative research to commit to a full redesign of Inventing tomorrow. While the audience of scientists and engineers continued to value detail and specificity, they responded positively to the engaging photos but were overwhelmed by some of the long-form features. We decided the whole magazine would pivot to prioritize larger, attention-grabbing images and illustrations, and the editorial would favor shorter, punchier stories peppered throughout with scannable facts and numbers. The first redesigned issue received a strong, positive response.

Before

After