HBN Brand Design Wins Package Design Magazine’s Makeover Challenge

HBN Brand Design Wins Makeover Challenge

We are exposed to thousands of packaging designs every day as modern consumers.  From the wrappers on the candy by our favorite supermarket checkout stand to the hardshell plastic packaging that seems to have been designed specifically to keep the customer from getting to the product they purchased, each is a result of a packaging and brand designers use of their special powers.  Let’s step behind the scenes of an award-winning design firm, HBN Brand Design, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and take a look at how they used their powers for good to redesign the Sun & Earth product packaging, an effort that won them the Package Design Magazine’s Annual Makeover Challenge.  According to Dwight Nelson, President of HBN Brand Design,

“Our goal was to give the Sun & Earth brand a memorable image and ownable design that reflects their brand values of natural, safe, gentle and effective.

Our first step in creating a new look was to review the competition. Although some of the larger brands do a good job of creating strong brand recognition through simple messaging, we felt that most of the existing brands in the marketplace are busy, clunky and industrial looking, rather than natural and safe feeling.

After reviewing the competition and pouring over Sun & Earth’s information, we saw the opportunity to not only reflect the brand essence, but to attract a broader audience to the Sun & Earth brand through a contemporary, consumer- friendly design. We also decided to create a design that would lift the quality perception of the Sun and Earth products.”

The full case study can be found by clicking here.

Where are the Eco-Friendly Gift Boxes?

Gap Gift Box ImageI was cleaning out a section of my basement last weekend and came across our collection of gift boxes from nationally branded department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s,  Gap, Talbots, and the like.  As a family, we save gift boxes and reuse them primarily for Christmas and birthday giving.  This helps to keep from contributing to the 5 million tons of wrapping ingredients that will end up in landfills this holiday season.  It got me to thinking, why don’t these Brands offer an eco-friendly version of their gift boxes and/or offer me an incentive (read – discount) to bring the box in this holiday season and let them box/wrap my newly purchased gifts into them?  In fact, the packaging could become an interesting secondary discount coupon in itself that lives on and could be used to incent friends or family receiving the gifts to return to the Brand’s store and receive a nominal discount on their next purchase.

Special thanks to the San Angelo Standard Times for the article – “Go Green With Holiday Cleanup”  for the landfill statistic and practical suggestions for reducing your holiday packaging impact.

Author Update:

Gucci Packaging

A quick update to this post with a special thank you to JoAnn Hines at packagingdiva.com for providing this bit of information.  Gucci offers eco-friendly packaging at their 284 flagship store locations.  According to the blog, upscaleswagger.com, “Gucci is taking the initiative to go green by implementing new eco-friendly packaging. The fashion brand wants to reduce dependence on materials and use 100% recyclable paper in packaging, so their revamping all packaging from the shopping bags to the gift boxes and even as little as to the tissue and ribbon that they use.”  Full post is here.

Are you interested in offering Eco-friendly holiday bags and gift boxes?  Check out the folks at Nashville Wraps.  They have a whole line of eco-friendly packaging called Green Way ®.