Yankee Candle: Hello Italy!

TL;DR: A destination-inspired collection designed to transport. With modern Mediterranean flair and custom illustrations, this limited series brought the essence of Italy to shelves, one sun-drenched scent at a time.

The Hello Italy Collection was a limited-edition line for Yankee Candle designed to capture the romance, charm, and sensory richness of a Mediterranean getaway, no passport required. Built around the idea of scent as transport, the collection focused on evoking the textures, flavors, and sun-soaked beauty of Italian culture through both fragrance and form.

Our team aimed to strike a balance between classic and contemporary. We leaned into soft pastels, warm tile textures, and airy design elements that nodded to Italian summers without feeling overly traditional or touristy. I collaborated with Jen Boylan to develop the visual direction for the series, collaborating on layouts, type treatments, and packaging design, while custom illustrations (hand-painted by Lisa Ballard) brought a sense of freshness and detail to each vessel. Every scent was framed by a unique regional narrative, from citrus groves on the Amalfi Coast to the earthy calm of Tuscan gardens.

The result: a collection that felt cohesive, escapist, and gift-worthy. Equal parts vacation dream and shelf appeal.

Created in collaboration with:
Lisa Ballard (Illustration) · Jen Boylan & Ursula Casanova (Graphic Design)
Colleen Hughes (Creative Manager) · Amy Silva (Senior Creative Manager)
Home Fragrance Photo Studio: Jodi Villani (Studio Manager) · Michael Scroggin (Sr. Photographer)

Concept Exploration.

We kicked off the Hello Italy concept phase in Miro, collaborating closely with the CMF team to explore three visual directions: Ancient Roman textures, romantic florals, and sun-soaked Italian landscapes. Moodboards became storyboards as we shaped a cohesive look across every home fragrance form, from 3-wick candles to wax melts and scent diffusers. I led the 3-wick exploration, which became the foundation for extending the design system across all formats. This was a true cross-team collaboration with Jen Boylan, Amy Silva, and Colleen Hughes.