Cryptobiosis 2025Packaging design proposal for Iris van Herpen
This project was created as part of a job application process for the position of Experimental Object Designer at Iris van Herpen. The assignment was to develop a packaging design proposal for a small object of my choice, with a focus on color, pattern, and an exploration of the Iris van Herpen aesthetic universe.
To begin this process, I immersed myself in the universe of Iris van Herpen to gain a deeper understanding of her universe. I quickly discovered that each collection is rooted in a conceptual theme—often drawn from emotions, movement, the body, or structures and processes found in nature.
With this in mind, I wanted the packaging to emerge from a theme that aligned. This led me to tardigrades and their remarkable ability to undergo cryptobiosis.
Cryptobiosis: A biological state in which an organism’s metabolic activity becomes undetectable or nearly ceases in response to extreme environmental stress. In this reversible “hidden life” condition, the organism essentially suspends growth, reproduction, and repair until favorable conditions return.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643320302439
I asked myself: What is the most extreme state a piece of packaging must endure? From this question, the concept naturally unfolded.
Through my research, I identified several principles essential to capturing her aesthetic and combined with my chosen theme. These became my design drivers: *Tardigrades / Cryptobiosis, *Transformation, *Positive–negative space, *Gradient colours, *Challenging conventional forms, *Lightness, *Sculptural
Concept
The overall concept for the packaging consists of three stages, inspired by the process of cryptobiosis in tardigrades:
1.Tun state :In this initial stage, the packaging remains closed, enclosing and protecting its content—in this case, a perfume. The packaging is preparing itself to endure its most extreme phase: being used.
2. Coming alive: The packaging begins to open up, coming alive as it releases the product – in this case a perfume and starts its transformation.
3. Active state: In its final stage, the packaging is fully opened, transformed into a sculptural form. Having survived its most extreme challenge, it now endures indefinitely as a lasting object – a sculpture the customer can keep in their home.
