Showcase 2024 Student Spotlight: Carlma Fon-Akkum

The project

This vibrant travel set, including shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer, blends a fun and premium aesthetic to offer customers the opportunity to care for their hair and skin while traveling abroad.

The design follows the brand language of Hair Anatomy, a UK-based luxury synthetic wig brand that aims to be bold, eye-catching, and appeal to a diverse range of customers primarily aged 21 to 40. The product packaging is fully recyclable, including bottles made from 50% recycled plastic (rHDPE). The set comes in a matching mesh bag made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (rPET), which offers customers additional storage options when packing for a trip. The unique, vibrant design also provides an incentive to reuse the containers, further contributing to the sustainability of the set.

The inspiration behind the project

This project brief represented a marriage between two roles for Carlma, as both a designer with a passion for packaging and the social media manager of Hair Anatomy. Much of the inspiration came directly from meetings with the brand CEO and customer feedback acquired through polls and questionnaires on Instagram stories. The most important thing was to create a design that was bespoke to the brand, integrating the design language, while remaining compact and minimalistic. It was really important to stand out from the rest of the market.

The final design was partially inspired by Roman statue-faced shampoo and conditioner bottles. The use of minimalism and texture carried the luxury aesthetic of the bottles. The literal interpretation of a head to represent hair care was very unique. Removing any facial traits from the bottles made them more inclusive, making them suitable for a wider range of buyers.

Being part of NTU

At NTU, Carlma has been challenged and pushed out of her comfort zone. She's seen herself do unbelievable things in the span of a week, and been fortunate enough to do a placement where she helped create commissions for companies like Joie Baby, Paramount Pictures, and Coca Cola, and discovered a passion for graphics that she never expected. Her growth over the past few years in both CAD and graphics especially have played a huge role in the success of her travel set project. She's very proud of the joy her work evokes in people, and she's grateful to NTU for nurturing this part of her which has allowed her work to be received as fun and eye-catching.

Closing remarks

In a world where all design is subjective, Carlma thinks it is incredibly important to be true to yourself with your work. Everybody will always have a different opinion of what counts as good or bad design. Carlma's proudest projects have been the ones she's enjoyed the most, the ones that inspired her and reminded her why she fell in love with design in the first place, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

Being able to look back on what you've done with pride, irrespective of others' opinions, is a very unique kind of pride and joy. Don't be afraid to do something different from the norm. You can be a BSc student who also prioritizes the aesthetic of a product, or a BA student with an eye for the mechanics of an object. Ultimately, your greatest success will come from your individuality.

Want to find out more?

Visit the Student Showcase website and follow our Instagram account for more student features.