PACKAGING DESIGN | CUSTOM DIELINE | SO MANY BEES
"Are these candles really worth eight dollars?"
SPOILER ALERT: YES.
CLIENT
Bee Hive Candles
PROJECT SCOPE
Packaging Design, Custom Dieline, New Visuals
CLIENT'S CURRENT LOGO
MISSION/CHALLENGE
This Washington-based candle company needs a new package design for their "six pack" of tealight candles. Each candle is hand-poured, hand-finished, and 100% beeswax.
The package design needs to fit the level of quality of these candles and is also suitable of their high price point: $7.95 is a lot for six tealight candles compared to standard wax tealights.
OUTCOME
I designed a from-scratch custom dieline, chose a new color palette, and replaced the client logo with a more upscale/less whimsical typeface for retail shelf readiness.
I also fabricated the physical prototype myself, from printing and cutting the dieline to dye-sublimating custom branded ribbon for the package.
AWARDS/RECOGNITION
The physical prototype is on display at MATC. Making the display case is a huge honor, and sets a standard for upcoming student designers to look up to.
DESIGN APPROACH
MY GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT:
-
Boutique look and feel
This package should feel equally at home at a Whole Foods or a small boutique retail establishment.
-
Sustainable packaging
Sustainability is a core value of this company, so this whole package should be recyclable. No plastic.
-
Surprise element to create a moment of delight on opening the package
Reinforce the level of detail involved in the production of these candles by adding unexpected touches during unboxing.
SUPER SNEAKY SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING:
Like a beekeeper harvesting from a hive, the inner box slides out, separating honey from wax, for you to "harvest" your candles.
CONCEPT SKETCH
PROTOTYPING
THIS IS WHERE ALL THOSE MAKER SKILLS OF MINE COME IN HANDY
I have a machine plotter/cutter. (Three of them, actually.)
I also have a small scale print shop of my own, so I got to work making physical versions of my initial dieline concept.
Doing this myself allowed me to quickly produce proof of concept drafts, tweak details, adapt, and move forward without needing to farm it out to a printer or wait between revisions.
TEALIGHTS WRAPPED IN 100% COMPOSTABLE PARCHMENT PAPER
THE BACK OF THE INNER BOX (ABOVE) IS STRIPED, AS SEEN IN THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT.
CHECK OUT THAT TINY BEE. HECK YEAH.
FINAL PRODUCT
DIELINES
