Rafi Nova Mask Co.
Problem solving a creative mask solution.
Design + Art Direction: Jeremiah Reardon (myself)
Category: Client Work
Client: Rafi Nova
Tags: Illustration // Apparel Design // Pattern Design
Quick Info
Rafi Nova is a family-focused, socially conscious apparel and lifestyle brand whose mission is to outfit families with products designed for everyday adventures. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the team at Rafi Nova began to produce a wide variety of masks for everyday use, families, members of the hearing-impaired community, and more. The company can be found at rafinova.com.
My Role
I was introduced to the Rafi Nova team as a freelance graphic designer upon the recommendation of a colleague. I then joined the team on a temporary basis where my graphic design skills would be commissioned as-needed for illustrations, designs, etc. For this particular project, I worked remotely and independently while also collaborating with the Rafi Nova creative team and production team.
The Problem
The primary project I was assigned to was to create three illustrations for a set of Halloween face masks. As the company liked my illustrations, this number ballooned quite rapidly where I was unexpectedly tasked with creating as many masks as possible within a short turnaround time. The problem to solve: how to create a copious amount of last-minute masks within a short turnaround time?
The Initial Masks
The three initial masks that were commissioned were intended to be “general monster” masks. Rafi Nova wanted to produce and sell a set of masks that were more generic and scary in nature for the upcoming 2020 Halloween holiday. As a team, we settled on the following designs: a general zombie mask, a general fang fake, and a general skull mask.
Step It Up A Notch
After the approval of the first three Halloween mask illustrations, Rafi Nova requested another 5–8 masks to be completed in as short a time as possible. With the first three masks taking about a week to make, I realized making another 5–8 masks in the same timeframe would require some creative problem solving and a new direction. In addition to this, Rafi Nova requested that the next set of masks be more customizable, family friendly, and not based primarily on one generic monster character. I did not anticipate nor budget the time for this extra work, but I wanted to find a solution regardless.
The Solution
To solve this problem, I looked back at my recent classwork for some creative inspiration. I originally created a cute vector ghost character for a class assignment (featured below), and this became the primary inspiration for the next set of masks. I would create a series of customizable and interchangeable patterns using cute and simplified Halloween icons in the style of this ghost character. The vector style allowed me to create multiple assets very quickly and interchanging them between patterns allowed me to produce the number of masks Rafi Nova was looking for.
The Master Pattern
From the inspiration of this singular ghost character, I created about 14 vector icons and characters that were arranged into a master pattern. From this one pattern, dozens of other patterns can be recreated using different iterations. This allowed me to solve the problem of creating another 5–8 masks while also vastly cutting down on my own production time. This also allowed the Rafi Nova production team to produce the Halloween masks in time for the holiday while also having the flexibility to easily adjust the color treatment and size of the graphics much more easily than the original three masks.
Iterations
From here, it was just a matter of breaking down the master pattern into different themes such as a ghost theme, a pumpkin theme, or a spider theme. Below you can find a few of the iterations that I created, some of which became the basis for future masks.
Results
The Halloween mask patterns were a complete success—even more so than the original three general monster masks that were commissioned. All of the masks that featured one of the iterations of the master pattern sold out very quickly (regrettably, not even I could secure one haha). Featured below are some of the Rafi Nova pictures of the final results and screenshots from the Rafi Nova website showing the success of the sales.
Photographs courtesy of Rafi Nova
