Of course, Chapin and Paradise don’t mean “absurd” in a bad way. It’s an amazing visual ride of absurdities. On our Tumblr, we’ve been cataloging perfume ads. Smelling like nothing isn’t necessarily nothing … an amazing category of absurdity in a lot of ways. there’s the idea that we don’t need to alter ourselves or what we actually smell like. What we, as humans, smell like, is lovely. The duo hopes that the “perfume” also sparks a broader debate about the nonsensical nature of the fragrance industry and the idea of branding scent. It’s quite a large message to pin on a simple bottle of water, but either you get the joke or you don’t. Our product is a comment on the perfume industry and water, and its commercialization. Modernism and the origin of typeface originated in the idea that content, not font or typography, is important. However, they insist that the concept is beyond an elaborate joke to trick design nerds into buying a fancy branded bottle of water. The inventors of the fragrance, Faun Chapin and Megan Paradise, are founders of the branding agency Guts and Glory - or, as they call themselves, “ginger partners in crime.” And despite being totally up-front about their water-selling gimmick, they’re often asked what their product smells like. On the plus side, you can refill it yourself at no extra cost. And this is not even Shahs of Sunset diamond-infused water, or even potable, for all we know.
If you’re wondering if this is just a fancy bottle full of water, then you’d be right! Two whole ounces’ worth. Retailing for $62, it comes in a bottle printed with 24-karat gold lettering and contains two ounces of water.
Familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, the scent is a clean, invisible, unadulterated blend of only “the purest and most essential elements” (“Air, water, you”). Its targeted audience is presumably anyone who didn’t fall asleep during Helvetica, the film. Perfume has drawn inspiration from dogs, babies, pizza, zombies - so why not a ubiquitous font? Branding company Guts and Glory is now offering a scent inspired by Helvetica, the Swiss typeface.