Role
- Concept
- Package Design
- Illustration
- Asset Creation
Software Used
- Illustrator
- Photoshop
Project Timeline
- 4 months
Background
Inspired by Creative Retail Packaging’s mantra, Every Experience Matters, we challenged ourselves to create a meaningful gift that evokes the “holiday spirit” using a standard corrugated shipping box to send to clients, vendors and friends.
Strategy
For most of us, the sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays evoke wonderful memories connecting us with the past. What better way to share in the holiday spirit, than to package each up and send it to our friends? From structural design to graphics, our goal was to incorporate elements that would encourage interaction and amplify the impact of each of the five senses. As the designer on this project I was in charge of partnering with structural designer to conceptualize, design and produce the packaging for the holiday gift. This included creating styleboard, selecting paper and packaging materials, custom illustrations and graphic assets.
Solution Storytelling through Packaging
When it comes to packaging, most people think primarily about the graphics and structure but neglect other touch points like smell or sound. We decided that in order to properly share an intangible feeling, such as the holiday spirit, it would have to be a sensory experience. Our hope was that our clients would not only be delighted by our gift box, but would be inspired to think about storytelling through packaging.
To accomplish this, we designed a bento box inspired shipper with separate compartments to hold a gift representing each of the five senses; taking into consideration the size, weight, cost, usefulness, and how well they represented each one.
Solution Experiencing the Season
The five senses were the centerpiece of the experience. Minimal graphics served to guide the recipient’s journey and highlight each present inside. Pops of color, and nostalgic hand-drawn illustrations added a special touch of old world Christmas.
Our shipper arrived encased in a white sleeve, fastened with a hint of gold tape on each end. The first sense demonstrated is sound: the jingle of a golden bell affixed inside the lid reminds us of holiday music, tree ornaments, and sleigh rides. Once the sleeve is slid off, pulling the red ribbon revealed what else is inside.
Step by step, the recipient moved through the box, interacting with each sense individually: a smoky cedar scented incense for smell, Godiva hot cocoa for taste, a felted acorn ornament in a velvet pouch for touch, and a beautifully illustrated poster, folded into an origami fortune teller for sight.
Each element was adorned with detailed hand-drawn illustrations, reminiscent of quintessential holiday symbolism to balance out the white space and add that magical finishing touch.
Solution Spreading the Joy
The final step in the box titled “share” was a hand illustrated card signed by the Creative Retail Packaging team. As a brand extension, we partnered with Redeeming Soles, a local Seattle non-profit organization, and created a custom illustrated tote bag to hold the shoes they give away to children and families. The illustrations and colors mimicked the style of the gift box and created a thoroughly branded experience.
