Tabasco X Norman Rockwell
Project Brief
The challenge was to take three paintings by a single famous artist and seamlessly blend a modern product into each one. The goal was to build a realistic ad campaign where the product looks like it completely belongs there, matching the original artwork’s lighting, colors, and textures perfectly.
Project Solution
My campaign brings the classic Tabasco bottle into the everyday American scenes of Norman Rockwell. As a timeless kitchen staple, Tabasco fits naturally into Rockwell’s storytelling—looking less like an intrusion and more like it has always been on the table. This pairing is also rooted in shared heritage: Tabasco expanded across the country right as Rockwell’s career took off, meaning the iconic brand and the legendary artist grew up together.
Tabasco Logo
Norman Rockwell Signature
Joint logo + signature
+
Norman Rockwell Signature
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Flat Ads
Visual Identity
Color Palette
PT Sans
regular: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789
italic: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789
bold: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123456789
Process
Moodboard:
Inspired by the nostalgia of classic Jell-O and Marlboro paper advertisements, this piece filters retro aesthetics through a clean, modern, and structured layout.
Design Process:
Step 1:To ensure maximum detail, I first built a hyper-realistic vector model of the iconic Tabasco bottle using Adobe Illustrator.
Step 2:After placing the bottle into the Rockwell canvas, I digitally painted custom reflections, shadows, and environmental lighting to match the scene. Finally, I overlaid grainy oil-brush textures and adjusted the color layers, ensuring the modern product blended seamlessly into the historic, vintage environment.
Step 3: To tie the print campaign together, I designed a custom red layout block textured to look slightly aged and shiny, mimicking the glass and color of a Tabasco bottle. I placed the painting on top and anchored the bottom half with Tabasco’s iconic triangle logo and a simple tagline of “An American Original Since 1868”, turning the entire poster canvas into a visual extension of the product itself.
I picked the red and green colors because they are iconic to the Tabasco brand, while also looking cohesive with the Rockwell paintings. I chose the light muted yellow as a third color because it is seen in all the paintings and it works well with the vibrant red and green.
Expansions
Mug merchandise expansion
Tote merchandise expansion