About the Design – Maison Margiela Replica Ad Poster
“A Scent for Every Mood” is a promotional poster designed in early 2026. Its intent is to capture the signature scents in the Replica Collection from Maison Margiela.
Designed with the specific intention to create an immersive and elevated brand experience, “A Scent for Every Mood” pairs each of the 18 fragrances from the 2025 Maison Margiela Replica Collection with cinematic snapshots of the top notes and moods associated with each bottle. By anchoring every bottle to realistic, atmospheric imagery, the design gives viewers a clear idea of their scent profiles.
The intention behind this design is to trigger a sensory response by allowing the audience to practically smell the perfume through the poster. This creates a clear and descriptive message to potential clients without the need for excess type. It is a powerful storytelling approach for a perfume brand looking to drive intrigue and conversion.
Inspiration – From Ffern to Maison Margiela
My inspiration for this project was not Maison Margiela, but another perfume brand –Ffern. While scrolling through TikTok, I received an ad for their seasonal small batch drop. The opening line of the video asked something along the lines of “how do we capture the scent of a lighthouse?”. Which as a designer who loves to push the boundaries and experiment with including the five senses into design, this question really stuck with me.
Like most good designers, this project started with quite a lot of research. Only this time I was completely guided by a single question “how can I visually capture a scent?”.
First I needed to sort out not only what notes were in the bottle, but how their combination influenced the final scent. My nose became by biggest asset here. Some scents such as Under the Lemon Tree and Coffee Break were straightforward and simple. But others such as By the Fireplace and Under the Stars proved a little more challenging.
The brand states that it should “evoke the memory of a starry night spent in the wilds of nature”. But images of leather, black pepper and cinnamon don’t do it justice. So the question arose again “how can I visually capture a scent”? My solution: combining real photography of not only the top notes within the perfume, but also the setting the combined notes put the wearer in.
Process – Creating the Maison Margiela Replica Ad Poster
Conclusion – Maison Margiela Replica Ad Poster
Overall this poster accurately captures the settings and scents that these perfumes emulate. I had a great time creating it and exploring designing for scent as well.
