Spring 2022

Desert Sage was Antica Farmacista's first major launch after the pandemic. Shelley Callaghan, the founder and photographer, and I built it together in Palm Springs: developing the fragrance, landing on the name, and shaping a visual story around the quiet of the desert.

As art director, I facilitated Shelley's vision and owned every graphic decision that carried it. Moodboards, label and packaging design, catalog layout, co-styling the shoot, then editing and color grading her photography into the final world you see here.

The desert became the set. A Louis XVI chair from a Palm Springs estate sale, a vintage gold Cadillac, and the two of us waiting for the light to drop across the dunes.
The desert became the set. A Louis XVI chair from a Palm Springs estate sale, a vintage gold Cadillac, and the two of us waiting for the light to drop across the dunes.
Sage, rosemary, lavender, warm sand and musk. Shelley and I shaped the scent and the name together.
Sage, rosemary, lavender, warm sand and musk. Shelley and I shaped the scent and the name together.
Here we cemented the concept of bringing the outside in — the earthy notes of Desert Sage create a transportive olfactory experience, whether at home or on the go.
Here we cemented the concept of bringing the outside in — the earthy notes of Desert Sage create a transportive olfactory experience, whether at home or on the go.
The label stayed soft and sun-bleached, pulled from the landscape it came out of.
The label stayed soft and sun-bleached, pulled from the landscape it came out of.
I laid out every spread by hand, sequencing Shelley's photography into one continuous desert world.
I laid out every spread by hand, sequencing Shelley's photography into one continuous desert world.