DÉRMA+X

Tihson Freeze-Dried Treats

November 4, 2015

Supplemented.co.uk

November 4, 2015

Engineering a skin-facing material, not just a package

DÉRMA+X was developed as a system, not a single asset. Each decision was tested across material behavior, user perception, and manufacturing constraints before moving forward.

Concept variations explored

Primary visual directions developed

Final concept selected for presentation

Material Breakdown

Material validated through surface realism

Calibrated salmon translucency with controlled hydrogel gloss.
Balanced thickness and light refraction communicate clinical credibility while preserving skin visibility beneath the mask.

High-Pigment Hydrogel Matrix

This variation explores a denser pigment load within a semi-transparent hydrogel base.

The increased chromatic concentration enhances visual presence while maintaining surface elasticity and controlled specular reflection. Gloss level is elevated but remains within a clinically acceptable range, allowing strong light interaction without appearing oily or cosmetic.

Increased translucency and adhesion detail

Higher membrane clarity and edge precision enhance realism.
Surface reflections were tuned to emphasize elasticity without drifting into cosmetic shine.

Balanced Translucent Serum Matrix

This configuration represents the most structurally coherent material behavior.

Pigment dispersion is evenly distributed within the gel substrate, allowing light to refract through varying thickness zones. Micro-bubble inclusions and controlled surface tension communicate active serum infusion while preserving optical clarity and skin visibility beneath the membrane.

Contrast-driven material study

Explored stronger highlight zones and segmented translucency.
Useful for understanding gloss behaviour, but visually less unified for a premium biotech presentation.

Low-Pigment Bio-Adaptive Gel Base

This study reduces chromatic density to emphasize translucency and dermal integration.

The lighter pigment ratio increases perceived softness and biocompatibility but reduces visual impact. Surface gloss is moderated, and internal light diffusion becomes more dominant than surface reflection, shifting the material toward a more subtle, less assertive presence.

Website description

Project Foundation

DÉRMA+X was developed entirely from first principles. Every visual, material study, and photographic simulation was created from scratch, beginning with hand sketches and evolving through controlled digital prototyping.

The objective was not to decorate packaging but to engineer a believable skin-facing material system. This required defining pigment density, translucency levels, gloss calibration, and membrane behaviour before any final asset was produced.

All textures, hydrogel simulations, lighting scenarios, and model applications were constructed internally to ensure consistency between material reality and brand expression. Nothing was sourced from stock or preset libraries.

Realisation

The process moved from sketch exploration to material abstraction, then to hyper-realistic render studies. Each phase tested how the mask would behave under light, on skin, and within a packaging context.

Material behavior, user perception, and manufacturing constraints were considered simultaneously. The final visual direction was selected not only for aesthetics, but for its accurate representation of hydrogel thickness, reflective index, and serum saturation.

The result is a cohesive system: packaging, material, and photography aligned around a single engineered narrative rather than isolated design elements.