Showcase your conceptual and visual form abilities through a hypothetical/fictional product. Apply your 2D & 3D design skills to develop a memorable visual brand and innovative paperboard packaging for the product.

Developing the brand

A smart pet collar designed to monitor a pet’s health and emotions. This virtual pet collar incorporates various sensors and connectivity features, such as a screen and Bluetooth, to give pet owners real-time insights into their well-being.

Building the form

After conducting a thorough analysis of the indirect competitors in the market, I observed a prevailing trend where pet collars were predominantly displayed and hung. However, considering the unique features of my product—a smart collar with a built-in screen—I recognized the impracticality of adhering to this tradition, particularly in light of growing concerns regarding security and protection. Hanging the smart collar exposed raised potential risks. Conversely, packaging it within a closed box would provide a sophisticated appearance that diverged from the desired aesthetic. Consequently, my innovative solution blends the display functionality of hang tags with the safety and security afforded by a closed box, striking a balance between showcasing the product's features and addressing pertinent consumer concerns.

The package design reinforces the brand’s personality by playing with words, such as “Purr-fect” and “Paw-sitivity” in the content. These clever and memorable phrases not only add a touch of humor but also create a positive and emotional connection with the audience, who are pet lovers. Including illustrations and symbols featuring happy and relaxed cats on the packaging aligns perfectly with the target demographic, tapping into the emotional bond pet owners share with their animals. This cohesive design strategy, from color choices to typography and packaging elements, ensures that the branding effectively communicates the product’s key attributes and resonates with the intended audience, making it a standout choice in the market.

Final solution

Design Brief Objectives: create right-sized package solution; consider material lifecycle; package must contain, secure, protect, inform, function, and market; graphics have to be friendly and welcoming; package must showcase the product and features; package must stand out; feature colorful palettes to blend with current products; package text should be fun and creative.

In this project, I successfully achieved all of my objectives, creating a packaging design that strikes a balance between playfulness and seriousness, conveying trustworthiness without appearing overly high-end or cheap. While the graphics are minimalistic and clean, contributing to the brand’s reliability, I acknowledge the need for improvement in the closure and opening of the box to enhance customers intuitiveness. The project’s success lies in the effective combination of a friendly and cute color palette with a clean design aesthetic. However, a challenge I faced in creating packaging was the packaging form, necessitating a hybrid solution. I overcame this by incorporating a closed box for security and a hang tag for product visibility. A notable area for further refinement is the placement of the “Meow” graphic, where the visibility of certain letters requires attention. Overall, this project provided valuable insights into the complexities of designing for a narrow market with visionary product requirements, showcasing my ability to innovate and problem-solve in the face of limitations.