Store Experience & Retail Concept · Charmed Aroma
I helped translate Charmed Aroma’s viral online success into a distinctive brick-and-mortar experience designed around discovery, scent, and jewelry. Our retail concept responded directly to customer feedback: shoppers wanted to smell the fragrances, interact with product in person, and explore the jewelry component before purchasing. It also opened the door to younger customers who were highly engaged with the brand but not yet shopping online.
Positioned at a higher price point than mass candle competitors like Bath & Body Works, the store experience was built to hero our differentiator: quality 925 sterling silver jewelry at an accessible price. Visual merchandising and in-store storytelling leaned heavily into the jewelry reveal, treating us as a disruptor within the jewelry category rather than just another candle brand. Fixtures and wall displays showcased the jewelry much like established players such as Pandora or Thomas Sabo, reinforcing perceived value and supporting the common customer insight that they had “recouped” the cost of the candle through the jewelry alone.
Branding and environmental design emphasized the surprise-and-delight “lottery” aspect of the product—years ahead of the blind-bag trend—spotlighting the anticipation of not knowing which ring you’d reveal. To clearly differentiate from more traditional candle retail, the stores were intentionally bright, feminine, and uplifting, a sharp contrast to the darker, blue-plaid aesthetic of key competitors. This holistic approach to store design, visual merchandising, and brand narrative created an immersive, high-impact retail experience that bridged fragrance, fashion jewelry, and playful discovery.
Retail Cabinet Visual Merchandising · Charmed Aroma
As Art Director, I developed the retail brand book and standardized wall cabinet mockup templates for Charmed Aroma, built in Adobe InDesign to support consistent visual merchandising across all locations. Each wall cabinet followed a fixed planogram, designed to showcase 1–2 key SKUs alongside their product cards and corresponding display jewelry, which was shipped to stores bi-weekly ahead of each launch.
This systematized approach ensured consistent execution of brand standards, clear storytelling at shelf, and efficient rollout of new collections across the retail network.
Retail Product Cards · Charmed Aroma
I designed a standardized system of retail product cards for Charmed Aroma to help bridge the in-store and online experience. These cards were used in all retail locations to showcase the unique “jewelry reveal” inside each product, featuring our photography, scent notes, and pricing.
Hosted in a centralized online hub, the cards could be accessed and printed on demand by any store, allowing the team to quickly update pricing to match our dynamic e-commerce model. As Art Director, I ensured visual and messaging consistency across these assets and our digital channels, creating a cohesive brand experience whether customers shopped online or in-store.
In-Store Educational Signage · Charmed Aroma
Above is an example of in-store educational materials used to demonstrate Charmed Aroma’s unique 2‑in‑1 value proposition (candle / body care + hidden jewelry). Using concise copy and branded visuals, the signage addressed key customer questions at shelf and at point-of-purchase, including: how the “reveal” works, how the jewelry is protected inside the product, and how to determine ring size.
Strategically placed across the store—within wall cabinets, on fixture headers, and near cash wrap—this signage functioned as silent selling tools, improving product understanding, reducing friction for first-time shoppers, and supporting sales associates in explaining the concept consistently across all retail locations.
Strategically placed across the store—within wall cabinets, on fixture headers, and near cash wrap—this signage functioned as silent selling tools, improving product understanding, reducing friction for first-time shoppers, and supporting sales associates in explaining the concept consistently across all retail locations.
