MAC cosmetics – Yemen concept

Design: Omnya Moaad Naji
Location: Turkey
Project Type: Student Project
School: Bahcesehir university
Tutor: Didem wong
Packaging Contents: Eyeshadow
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Cardboard

This is a limited edition packaging for MAC cosmetics that shows the diversity of nature and the history of Yemen by only using typography and colours. Yemen has so many beautiful things that are hidden from the world, so it was a chance for me to bring out some of its beauty through packaging that is abstract which will make people be more curious about it.

In this project, I choose 2 out of 100 things that make Yemen unique: 1- Beauty and diversity of its nature 2- Its history

So in order to represent my concept which is 2 different ideas, I used colours and typography to differentiate between them, the colours were representing the diversity of its nature and the typography was representing history. However, My main aim was to emphasize more on its nature, therefore, each packaging is showing a different colour which shows that each packaging has a different nature than the other. While the typography used is the same for all sets of the packaging.

As I mentioned above, the typography is representing history. Hence the Sabaean language — a language used in Yemen between 1000 BC and the 6th century AD — and its alphabet were the most suitable to my concept. The letters used in the packaging were taken from the Sabaean alphabet. However, these alphabets are also called the South Arabian alphabet ( al-musnad ).

Moreover, the colours used in the packagings were inspired from the diverse nature of 2 places: Ibb city and Socotra island.

First, the white and blue packaging= Socotra island, a beautiful island which is the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea. It has so many unique things that can only be found there. However, in my packaging I got inspired from its sea colour, it has a very unique colour that everyone would fall in love with.

Second, the green packaging= Ibb city, which people call it “ the green city of Yemen ” a city that is fully green, full of trees, grass and plantation. The greenish view of that city really inspired me. Ibb is a scenic city in Yemen.

Lastly, the reason why I choose MAC cosmetics was because first of all, I love it so so so much, in addition, I felt that we share the point that our packaging designs are simple but at the same time strong.

What’s Unique?
I can say that it starts with the concept ending with how the concept is finalized into a product by using only typography and colours in a very simple, neat and effective way.