Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, and Laser Engraver

Black Embers emerged from my obsession with coffee and cigar packaging. The primary goal of Black Embers is to bring people together, make new memories, and relive old ones. When I smell coffee, I remember my grandmother and her sister and the times my aunt would fix me milk with a splash of coffee in a “fancy” cup. Cigar packaging became a later interest when I went to my first cigar bar in Gadsden with my boyfriend and rekindled my love for packaging.

           Black Embers’ aesthetic brings earthy tones to complement the natural amber tones in the coffee beans, tobacco leaves, and wooden boxes. The name comes from the embers that roast coffee and the ash that falls from cigars. The skull logo shows the intensity of some flavors and uses fire to smoke a cigar and roast coffee beans. I engraved the wooden elements to bring out the wood grain's beautiful line work and smokey aroma. The idea of the poster was to use a crosshatching technique that combines fine lines to create depth to mimic the wood grain and icons representing the brand and the products.

            I hope Black Embers places you in a meaningful time, like remembering a loved one, celebrating an event, or just winding down after a long day.