VR BODEGA STOREfront

2023, 12 Weeks

Photography: @nataliemstudios

Challenge:

Canary Marketing set out to create a unique, immersive holiday gifting experience for their clients — one that pushed beyond traditional e-commerce. The challenge was to design a fully web-based VR store with a cohesive visual identity rooted in the playful, nostalgic theme of an “Italian Bodega.” Every detail, from product packaging to environmental assets, needed to align with this theme while delivering a polished, elevated client experience that felt festive, intentional, and engaging.

Role:

As a key member of the design team, I was responsible for creating the visual identity of the sweatshirt gift item, its custom “pizza box” packaging, and several digital assets that would appear in the VR environment. I worked in close collaboration with other designers to ensure consistency across all touchpoints — blending physical and digital design elements into a seamless, thematic experience. My designs brought the warmth and personality of a classic Italian bodega into the digital gifting space in a fresh, modern way.

Impact:

The final experience was a hit with clients — celebrated for its originality, interactivity, and charm.
The sweatshirt and custom pizza box quickly became the most popular gift item chosen by clients — so much so that it had to be reordered multiple times due to high demand. It was incredibly rewarding to see the sweatshirt worn all over San Francisco and shared on social media, extending the reach and visibility of the design well beyond the VR store. The overwhelmingly positive response reinforced the power of thoughtful, playful design in creating emotional connections — and proved how immersive brand storytelling can drive both engagement and lasting impact.

Deliverables:

Sweatshirt with custom hem tag, yoke imprint, and puff-print

Custom typographic illustrations

Packaging of a fully custom ‘pizza box’

Virtual— Downloadable Bodega Posters

Skills:

Illustration

Typesetting

Custom Type

Package Design

Factory-Ready
Production Files

Tools:

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Background:

In preparation for the holiday season, the design team at Canary Marketing in San Francisco, created custom merchandise and packagings to be displayed and ‘purchased’ from a Virtual Reality Gift Store.

The theme and layout of the store and the gifts was an Italian Bodega, referencing food, beverages, and other things found in a Bodega. Each designer was assigned a merchandise item to be delivered in a custom-designed food package.

My role was the customization and creation of the sweatshirt and its respective ‘pizza box’ packaging.

VR Bodega STORE

Designed by Canary Marketing

Sweatshirt Design

Inspired by Dean Martin’s song, That’s Amore.

[Chorus]
When the moon hits your eyer
Like a big pizza pie, that’s amore
When the world seems to shine
Like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore

Initital Sketches and Concepts

FINAL DESIGNS

BEAUTy is in
the details

Custom Yoke Tag:

To further customize this sweatshirt, I wanted to add a personalized touch in the inner-yoke. I illustrated these bodega ‘buddies’ with inspiration from another designer on my team, who was creating differing food characters for a tee-shirt design.

This project was a culmination of many designers’ work and was incorporated in a unified store, so I revised my design with the ‘Canary Bodega’ tag.