Ahhhh… Milano, Milano, Milano. One of my favorite cities on earth. Not just because my cousins live there and cook me the most incredible food I’ve ever had—but because every street corner hums with history, art, architecture, soul. Milan is a massage for my nervous system.
As an architect, the city completely blew my mind. I’d studied these buildings in school, and suddenly, there they were, rising around me. Buildings that made my heart melt and my eyes widen. And then—out of nowhere, while walking to meet my client—a Scarpa building. Carlo Scarpa, one of my all-time favorite architects. His details are absolutely dialed-in. Every gesture is intentional. Poetic. Quiet, but powerful. That building shook me to my core.
And of course, there’s the Duomo di Milano. The one that pulls me in every time I visit Italy. I’ve sketched it over and over again—its impossible lacework of stone, its grandeur, its softness, all at once. One time I missed a train to Verona because I got so carried away drawing it. Seriously.
That sketch is still one of my favorites. And it made its way into this project.
Designing the Duomo VIVID Swatchbook
When Duomo asked me to design the swatchbook for their vivid line, I knew this couldn’t be ordinary. It had to be emotional. Architectural. Alive with color and story. It had to embellish the packaging design that I had originally created for the vivid line.
Duomo is made in Italy, and it was important that every part of the brand felt like it was steeped in Italian artistry and craft—not just visually, but viscerally. I had already designed the full Duomo brand and packaging system, but this vivid line needed something bolder. Something that moved.
The cover illustration is my own take on the Duomo di Milano. I started with loose pen-and-ink sketches—the kind that feel alive on the page, unpolished and full of motion. Then I layered watercolor washes for texture and light. Finally, I brought it into Photoshop and Illustrator, using digital paint splattering techniques to introduce color that bursts, drips, and floats. The explosion of pigment represents the full, vibrant spectrum of the VIVID line—raw, expressive, and completely unique.
A Swatchbook That Feels
This isn’t just a tool for stylists. It’s a piece of art. When you open the vivid swatchbook, I want you to feel something. I want you to see color not just as a choice—but as a feeling. A gesture. A story. Color is deeply emotional, especially in hair. It’s identity. It’s rebellion. It’s celebration. It’s healing.
I didn’t want to design a catalog—I wanted to design an experience. The moment you hold it, flip through it, engage with it, you step into possibility. You step into Duomo’s world.
Ink, Architecture, and Soul
My process is always a blend of analog and digital. I love the tactile honesty of pen and ink, the looseness of watercolor. But I also love what digital tools allow me to do with texture, color, and layering. The Duomo vivid swatchbook became the perfect canvas to explore both.
The beauty of this project is that it’s not just a design—it’s a culmination of everything I love: architecture, emotion, craftsmanship, and color. It’s one of those rare moments when all the pieces align and you get to create something that feels truly personal and deeply intentional.
Final Thoughts
The vivid swatchbook is more than a piece of print—it’s my love letter to Milan. To the Duomo. To color as a medium for expression. It’s for the stylists who bring that expression to life, one bold choice at a time.
You can see more of the work—and the full Duomo collection—at www.duomopro.com
