The archive · Design & Visual · Product decision · 2024
Natura Ryos' fragrance identity makes the Tupi letter for water flow like a river
For Ekos Ryos fragrance, water is the whole identity: the Tupi letter 'Y' — the word for water — becomes living typography that moves like the Amazon's rivers.
Natura · Ekos Ryos
What it had to solve
Ekos Ryos was born from the desire to bottle the rhythm of the Amazon — a force where nature and culture are held together by the movement of its rivers. The packaging had to do more than hold fragrance; it had to carry the spirit of the forest itself.
How it works
Ekos Ryos was created to bottle the Amazon — not the region as scenery, but as a force: an intricate balance of nature and culture held together by the rhythm of its rivers. The packaging had to carry that spirit rather than merely hold a fragrance.
The design found its anchor in language. In Tupi, the word for water is 'Y', and that single letter became the heart of the identity — a symbol small enough to hold the whole idea of the river.
Around it the design built a fluid, living typography that mimics the movement of rivers, then extended the letterform through the packaging and into the broader visual language of the line.
The result is an identity where water is not illustrated but embodied: the packaging reads as a river in motion. D&AD keeps the work in its awards archive under Typography; the page records no sales or engagement figures.
Why it lands
- Choosing the Tupi word 'Y' roots the identity in the language of the place the fragrance comes from, rather than a generic nature motif.
- A single glyph carries the concept, so the whole system — packaging, type, visuals — stays coherent instead of scattering into decorations.
- Typography that mimics river movement gives a static bottle the sensation of flow, which is exactly the rhythm the product promises.
- Because the letterform extends beyond the packaging, the identity keeps telling the river story on every touchpoint without new artwork each time.
What it did
The container became part of the story: meet the letter, and you meet the river before the fragrance. The 'Y' typography gives the whole line one continuous visual language. D&AD keeps the work in its awards archive under Typography; the page records no sales figures.
What you can take
If a place's essence is movement, find the single native glyph that contains it: Tupi's 'Y' for water seeded the whole identity, letting typography carry a landscape that photography cannot.
Since then
The Ekos Ryos identity was built around the water letter 'Y', with living typography carrying the river motif through packaging and visual language. D&AD keeps the work in its awards archive under Typography; the page credits production company Gazpacho and records no sales or launch figures.
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