State of the Art

Five minutes with the illustrators of our new season collections.

When it came to creating the stunning packaging for our sublime new limited edition collections, we decided to stay true to our homegrown roots by collaborating with independent artists from around the world.  

We searched far and wide for the best and brightest in the design game, and guess what? It turns out some of the most exceptional talent was right in front of us all along! In addition to the six uniquely gifted global artists we worked with for these skincare sets, two of our very own in-house illustrators, Kate and Maya, showed off their skills – and the striking results speak for themselves. 

With such a diverse range of perspectives brought to the table, each collection stands alone as a singular piece of breathtaking artwork, creating gifts that are just as much of an indulgent feast for the eyes as they are a nourishing treat for your loved one’s skin. It’s time to meet the maestros behind these masterpieces... 

Jess Miller , United States, @jessmillerdraws

Jess designed the packaging for the Nourish, Balance and Glow editions of our Skincare Discovery Kits. 

 What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

The main sources of inspiration for creating each illustration were the ingredient profiles. Each skincare set had a different mix of natural ingredients, so I researched each ingredient and drew from nature to create a  watercolour  illustration for each icon.   

What was your favourite element of the design?  

For me, it was definitely creating the  illustrations for the Balance Kit. I really liked the rich blue, green and yellow colours mixed with the fluidity of the icon shapes, and I wanted it to look as though the kale, blue algae, golden jojoba, green tea, and blue spirulina were floating in water.   

 What was your process for creating the design?  

For this project, I went for a more modern approach – working with digital watercolour brushes in the drawing program Procreate, layering watercolour brush strokes and splatters for texture.  

Bekki Flaherty , United Kingdom, @bekkiflaherty

Bekki designed the packaging for our A Touch Of Magic and A Walk On The Beach Collections. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

I always find tropical imagery really energising and uplifting, so the mood boards and the colour palettes themselves were a big inspiration. I love eating and cooking with whole foods, so I even had some of the ingredients in my kitchen cupboards. Olives are my favourite food! 

 What was your  favourite  element of the design?  

I have never painted almonds or coconuts  before, so it was a challenge to translate them into my style of painting  – which is fairly loose and stylised – but they ended up being the parts of the pattern I was most delighted by.  

What was your process for creating the design?  

I like to work out the bones of a pattern before I start painting, and to know in advance where everything is going to go. I sketched out the design on my iPad, then brought it onto the computer to create a technical repeat, adding in any extra motifs for the pattern as needed. Once I was happy with the framework for the pattern, I printed the sketch and used a light pad to paint the watercolour elements, before scanning them and placing them back into the pattern template.   

JP, India, @jyotirmayeepatra

 

JP designed the packaging for our Mini Body Wash and The Signature Collection. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

I’ve always been fascinated by the organic shapes and forms of nature. For this  project in particular, there were a lot of natural elements to work with, which gave me more room for exploration. The challenge and the exciting part here was to bring all of them together as this one harmonious entity, while retaining their innate individual qualities 

What was your favorite element of the design?  

Illustrating different  foliage was my favourite part – analysing different kinds of leaves, their structures, shades of green, textures etc. To be able to work on a diverse range and make it all blend together seamlessly was a really fulfilling experience.  

What was your process for creating the design?  

It all started with some good intensive research work. Collecting references and creating a strong mood board with a clear design vision was key, and the beginning stages involved a lot of sketching and testing out different layouts to see what worked. Once I had a few potential options to share for feedback, we shortlisted one design per collection. Then I moved onto the refinement and colouring stage, where I started shaping up the line sketches to detailed final artworks.  

António Soares , Portugal, @antonio_soares 

António designed the packaging for our Mask Magic Collection. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

I got inspired by Tropic’s Infinite Purpose – my goal was to create a healthier, greener and refreshing illustration! Knowing and researching more about the brand really helped me to realise my vision for the project. 

What was your  favourite  element of the design?     

The ingredients that I had to illustrate were amazing! Their shapes, colours, properties and the ways they all work together were such a pleasure to create.

What was your process for creating the design?  

In my work, nature is always part of the process, so I really felt extremely comfortable in the creation process here. Researching and creating a mood board is always the first step, and as I worked with the Tropic team’s feedback, I gradually developed an even fresher, greener composition.  

Suren Nersisyan , United States, @artandsuren 

Suren designed the packaging for our Original Skincare Discovery Kit. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

For me, flora always provides a burst of inspiration, and it’s interesting when I explore their elegant shapes and proportions together. I think one of the main inspirations for these illustrations was the creation of a harmonic composition with different plants, using their shapes and shades to make them appear as one inseparable whole.  

What was your  favourite  element of the design?     

My favourite part was finding an aesthetic solution that made the cold turquoise colours of aloe work with the warm shades of the jojoba plants. It made me explore their growing habits, shapes and find a way to visually combine them together.  

What was your process for creating the design?  

I already knew a lot about the life and growing conditions of these herbs, so I drew from my knowledge of their biological characteristics to get the process started. Afterwards, I slowly developed a sense of how to create cohesion between these herbs.   

Bella Gomez , United Kingdom, @bellagomezprints

 

Bella designed the packaging for our Tamanu Collection. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

I wanted the illustration to be bright and expressive, to emulate the abundance of fresh natural ingredients packed into the Tamanu Balm. I saw the artwork bursting with vitality and colour and celebrating all things Tropic, and wanted the flora, guava, coconuts and palm fronds to whisk customers off to the sun-soaked tropics. 

What was your favourite element of the design?  

Creating a pattern and layout really is the fun bit for me. The vibrant leaves and plants create such impactful illustrations, and I love playing with their scale, direction and colour. It’s also exciting to see the design come together with the logo and all of the packaging!   

What was your process for creating the design?  

I started with a mood board of the ingredients, leafy patterns and the punchy green palette, before making quick pencil drawings of the plants and tropical leaves. I then sketched out a few layouts in Procreate, loosely adding colour, and selected a few placements that worked.  Using watercolours, I hand-painted a couple of versions of the flowers, fronds, leaves, nuts and fruits, before I scanned the illustrations into Photoshop and got playing.   

Kate Stockill, United Kingdom, @whatkatedesigns 

Kate designed the packaging for our Dream Team and Bedtime Bliss Collections, along with our limited edition Colour Palette box. 

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

Both the Dream Team and the Bedtime Bliss Collections are great for creating a relaxing, sleep-inducing environment at home and I wanted to encapsulate this feeling within the designs. For the Colour Palette, I wanted to reflect the changeable nature of the product and how easily it’s applied to your skin. 

What was your favourite element of the design?  

My favourite element of the design was learning about how each product is packed full of so many natural ingredients from all over the world! All these great ingredients contribute to creating the intense, dreamy smells of the different ranges and I loved trying to replicate this intensity of smells and ingredients throughout the pack design.

What was your process for creating the design?  

For the sleep-focused collections, I portrayed the ingredients in soft, watercolour textures and positioned them in a way where it looked as if they were gently moving around the pack, just as all the beautiful smells help you wind down for the day. Then, for the Colour Palette, I again used watercolour textures, but this time with big, vibrant bursts of colour to mirror how the product is a great way to create a different, diverse range of looks from day to night. 

Maya Wentworth-Browne, United Kingdom

Maya isn’t on Instagram, but if you want to see some more examples of her talent in action, you don’t have to look very far! She was one of the geniuses behind the design of our Little Tropic characters.

Maya designed the packaging for our Luscious Lips Collection.

What inspired you when creating the illustration?  

My main source of inspiration was actually the vibrant colours of the Lip Stains. Both the Bitten Red and Pink Bloom shades were great starting points to create a design bursting with bold and flirty aesthetics.   

What was your favourite element of the design?  

I just couldn’t get enough of those Lip Stains! Working with the reds and pinks was really fun, and kept things feeling so bright and colourful. 

What was your process for creating the design?  

My starting point for this design was finding a colour that would complement the red and pink of each collection to serve as a link between the two. From there, I started to create the colour explosions and blend them together to fill the floral shapes.