A question of purpose
Ambient scenting can serve a desire to create a particular atmosphere in a space. Olfactory branding focuses on the relationship between scent and an organisation’s identity. Both aims can be part of the same project.
It helps to define the initial need. Is the aim to introduce a scent into one setting? To create continuity across locations? Or to develop a language that also appears in objects, packaging and experiences? Each answer changes the scope of the work.
From composition to a system of use
When identity is the aim, the brief considers the brand’s history, values and codes. Selecting or developing a fragrance takes place within this framework. Choices should be open to discussion in relation to the meaning they are intended to express.
How the fragrance is used also deserves attention. A scent intended for several applications needs to be tested on the relevant materials. Its presence in a space must take account of people, activities and environmental conditions.
What belongs in the initial request
If a hotel wants a scent for its reception area, the first conversation may concern dimensions, visitor flow, intensity and daily management. If it wants a signature that represents the stay and also belongs in an object guests can take home, the work involves further decisions about meaning, recognition, narrative and consistency across applications.
For CERVO Mountain Resort, ideas of exploration and time for oneself guided a project involving ambient diffusion and scented objects. For Bocconi, the direction connects to the university’s vision and the architecture of its campus. These different settings show how strongly the brief shapes subsequent choices.
A useful request therefore explains who will encounter the fragrance, where, at which moments and what aspect of the brand it should express. It also needs practical boundaries: who will manage the system, which applications are planned and how feedback will be collected. This creates a clear scope for discussing the project.
Evaluate against the original question
A project should include ways to review its results that are proportionate to its aims. This may involve gathering feedback on perceived coherence and checking consistency of use. Any commercial effects require specific measurement and cannot be inferred simply from the presence of a fragrance.
Scent Identity Design offers a process that connects these decisions. From Listening to Resonance, it keeps the intended identity in conversation with the experience people actually have.
