The Unseen
A blind-box proposal places one Immortal edition inside an identical outer sleeve. The character is revealed when the box opens.
Original brand concept / Fragrance / Luxury
DAWNLESS
A house after dark.
A fragrance house built around cathedral architecture and dark romance. I carried one pointed arch from the bottles into the spaces where people meet the scents, with a launch campaign that gives the house a life after dark.
DESIGNERPriscilla Rios
OWNERSHIPSole designer, from concept to execution
SCOPEIdentity, product, campaign and experience
STATUSOriginal brand concept
THE STARTING POINT
The arch had to work at every scale.
I started with a pointed arch. It gave Dawnless a shape that could fit on a bottle plaque and still make sense as a doorway. The aim was gothic luxury, with enough restraint for the object to feel considered in daylight as well as a dark campaign image.
The range grew into several character-led collections. I kept the cathedral emblem and dark glass at the center, letting the case and engraving change with the story. The proposed first launch uses one scent salon and a compact core selection. The complete character collections and event designs show where the house could go afterward.
PROPOSED FIRST EDITION
A first night behind one door.
Dawnless has a whole season in it. I would open with Strangers After Dark in one hired salon. Gothic black tie sets the mood. The first scent encounter and the conversation it starts have to earn the next invitation.
- THE FIRST OFFER
- One hosted evening with a compact selection from the core collection. Sampling happens on individual blotters at a separate counter. Guests can join the conversation rounds or stay in the lounge. Portraits are optional.
- HOW YOU TAKE PART
- The character ad opens a clear reservation page. A sample and dress-code card arrive before the event. Inside, a host introduces the scents before the conversation begins. Guests leave with their chosen sample and a wear card.
- WHAT I WOULD DELIVER
- One character ad and the black-tie invitation, with the reservation flow and a small set of scent cards. The cathedral arch carries into table signs. The existing collections remain design studies for perfumer and packaging development.
- BEFORE IT GROWS
- Check whether guests understand the invitation and can compare scents comfortably. Ask what they choose to wear afterward. A return invitation depends on those responses and the actual cost of hosting the salon.
Where it could go next
The Midnight Court ball, The Fifth Box opera and The Night Parish village keep their designs below. They are later editions with separate production plans. The wider character collections can grow after the core scent offer is developed.
THE IDENTITY
One emblem. A consistent house.
The emblem combines a pointed arch with twin lancets and a quatrefoil crown. The original wordmark carries the ornament. I kept the complete lockup on major surfaces and used the emblem alone on smaller details.
Linux Libertine Display carries the larger headings. Smaller serif text explains the scent briefs, with tracked capitals for release details.
Obsidian
#101012Crimson
#4A1420Midnight indigo
#171A32Forest emerald
#142D25Warm ivory
#EEE8DEPRODUCT & COLLECTION DESIGN
22 scent briefs, one house.
Each collection has its own bottle architecture. Explore the individual briefs to see how the narrative changes the notes and material direction.
Six introductions to the house, held in broad dark-glass bottles with a recessed arch.
Smoke after midnight
03:00 AM
Tobacco and dark rum sit at the center. Vanilla softens the smoke without taking away its weight.
SCENT DIRECTION
Aged tobacco leaf / Spiced dark rum / Madagascar vanilla bean / Smoked amber
Packaging
Open the altar doors.
The cases make the first encounter physical. Altar doors frame the core bottle. The Immortal editions use a narrow coffin form, while the Opera Ghost bottles stand inside a small stage. I kept the interiors quiet enough for the object to remain the focus.
The same house colors
Interior materials change by collection. Obsidian and the established jewel tones hold the packaging together.
Applications
The pattern lives inside.
I used the tracery as a quiet interior detail. It appears when a sleeve opens or a lining catches the light, keeping large exterior surfaces spare.
Retail
Smell first. Read after.
The first salon borrows the retail concept’s clear stone table. Visitors compare numbered blotters before turning over the cards to read the story. The permanent stores shown here are later location studies, following a scent offer that works in one hosted room.
EXPLORE THE PROPOSED STOREFRONTS 5 LOCATIONS
A consistent visit
The staff guide comparison, then allow time for a chosen scent to settle on skin. A notes card lets the visitor take the decision away.
Wrapping in view
The final exchange stays visible. Guests choose a house color while the package is folded and sealed at the counter.
Campaign
Every scent has an invitation.
The character ads begin close to skin. Each image pairs a specific scent brief with one line worth remembering. Event invitations extend the same visual language into a night someone can attend.
1 / 11 CREATIVE STUDIES
The portrait earns attention. A close crop and one character line introduce the scent. In print, the image has room to breathe. Short motion versions would follow a hand closing around the bottle or a flower crossing the light.
The invitation gives it somewhere to go. The event creative keeps the cathedral arch and house colors. The invitation names the occasion and directs people to a discovery set or reservation on the proposed launch site.
DAWNLESS BY MOONLIGHT / HALLOWEEN CAMPAIGN
Wear something unforgettable.
The proposed Halloween season asks guests to dress in gothic black tie. The campaign follows getting ready at home into the evening, with the scent as part of that routine.
THE DRESS CODEBlack tie required.
Black tie required.
Gothic interpretation encouraged.
Velvet tailoring or floor-length silk. Long gloves can change the gesture of a hand around a bottle. Antique jewelry catches the candlelight. Guests choose the details that make the evening their own.
Masks are optional at the ball and scent-dating salon. The village welcomes character costumes, with room for a more theatrical interpretation.
An invitation you can wear.
An ivory card sits inside a black envelope, marked with the cathedral arch in silver. A fragrance sample introduces the evening before the guest arrives. The invitation explains the dress code and the scent ritual.
THE BEAUTY DIRECTION
The last moment before leaving.
Luminous skin against deep wine lips. A gloved hand brings perfume to the neck as moonlight crosses a stone arch. Short films would follow the same gesture from the dressing room into the evening. A closing still life places the bottle beside a loosened bow tie, carrying the story past the final dance.
The Fifth Box
An intimate opera evening could follow the first salon, with the Opera Ghost collection developed for it.
Strangers After Dark
The black-tie scent salon gives guests a reason to arrive alone and stay for the evening.
The Midnight Court
The vampire ball brings the campaign into a full evening of formal portraiture and dancing.
The Night Parish
A later outdoor edition lets visitors spend an evening inside the wider Dawnless world.
Proposed seasonal program. Each event can stand alone, starting with one salon before committing to the full season.
EXPERIMENTAL MARKETING / PROPOSED EXPERIENCES
Make the night worth leaving home for.
The collection gives each evening its setting. Guests dress for the occasion and try a scent while they are there, then take a reminder of it home.
THE DRESS CODE
Black tie required. Gothic interpretation encouraged.
Formal eveningwear, with masks optional. Velvet tailoring or a silk gown sets the tone. A host welcomes guests arriving on their own.
THE SCENT-DATING SALON / BY MOONLIGHT
Strangers After Dark
A scent-led speed-dating evening in a moonlit conservatory. Five-minute introductions begin with an individual scent card, then move into conversation. After the rounds, guests can stay for dancing. Scent starts the encounter. Mutual interest decides the match.
Who comes, and why
For adults who want an occasion to dress up and meet someone. Guests share who they would like to meet when reserving, so hosts can arrange rounds around reciprocal preferences.
The invitationThe black envelope carries the dress code and a personal invitation. At the salon, guests choose an unmarked sample, then discover the character behind the scent. The host introduces the first round.
Choose your scent
Compare samples on individual blotters at the discovery counter. Choose one to keep, with optional application before entering the salon.
Five minutes, face to face
A scent card starts each conversation. One prompt asks what memory it brings back. A gentle musical cue signals the next introduction.
Leave a sealed note
Guests privately mark who they would like to see again. The host shares contact details only where both guests have opted in to the introduction.
Stay a little longer
The timed rounds open into a social hour with music. Guests can keep talking or revisit the fragrance they chose at the start.
The scent has a job.
The discovery counter makes the perfume part of getting ready. Individual cards keep each encounter distinct, with fragrance applied only by choice.
Something leaves with you.
A take-home sample carries the evening into the next day. The invitation sleeve becomes its case, with a blank space to record a memory from the night.
FIRST EDITIONStart with one conservatory salon and a small reservation list. Test the length of the rounds and the transition into the social hour before adding further evenings.
THE LAUNCH PLAN
Start with one scent salon.
The first event needs to give guests time to try the fragrance. Begin with a small discovery offer and one hosted salon. Use their wear feedback and interest in returning to decide what to produce next.
A character, close up.
Use one character portrait to introduce the first By Moonlight salon. The invitation states the scent offer and black-tie dress code. Further character ads can follow after a perfumer develops the core samples. The complete ad studies remain available above.
Send the story home.
A compact sample set lets people compare the scents across several evenings. A printed wear card records the response. A proposed sample-to-bottle credit gives a practical reason to return after the wear test.
Test one room.
Begin with Strangers After Dark in one salon. A host introduces the samples before the optional conversation rounds. Learn whether guests can compare scents comfortably and what they wear afterward. Cost that evening before proposing the larger ball.
Follow the chosen scent.
Guests who opt in receive their portrait or performance recording with the scent they selected. A later note asks how it wore. Future invitations follow their interests, with a simple way to decline.
AN INVITATION PEOPLE CAN PASS ON
The letters arrive after dark.
A proposed press edition pairs a short character letter with a labeled sample. Independent bookshops could host evening readings with a scent counter nearby. Each participating place has its own invitation code, so the house can see which encounters lead to discovery requests.
What the first edition should teach us.
From ad to sampleTrack discovery requests by character creative and placement.
From sample to bottleRecord the scents people purchase after their wear test.
From ticket to encounterMeasure how many guests complete the discovery ritual during the event.
From encounter to returnFollow repeat purchases and attendance at later evenings.
THE WORK, TOGETHER
The night belongs to you.
Original brand and experiential marketing concepts by Priscilla Rios. All 22 fragrances are creative scent briefs. By Moonlight is a proposed Halloween campaign. Its scent-dating salon, ball, opera special and village are proposed productions. Character editions are independent interpretations, with no affiliation or approval claimed. Storefronts are proposed locations.
