Sustainable Packaging
Case Study
Project Overview
Demonstrates my ability to think innovatively, create sustainable solutions, and package designs.
Title:
Native Deodorant — Sustainable Packaging
Software:
Adobe Illustrator,
Photoshop, Dimension
Deliverables:
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Dieline of package
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Physical 3D prototype
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Product photographs
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3D model using Dimension
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Magazine ad
Brief:
Locate one of the worst non-environmentally friendly product packaging offenders. Research a company that provides that product and create a solution that decreases the amount of packaging, uses more sustainable materials, and/or is reusable. The overall design must be unique, eye-catching, and directly appeal to the company target audience. Use the original company brand, no logo rebranding.
About the Client:
Native is a personal care company specializing in deodorant. Their products are cruelty-free, and use clean ingredients. I chose to redesign the packaging for this company because their target audience already aligns with natural, health-conscious products and therefore would most likely be interested in sustainable choices as well. They also did not have any plastic-free options at the time.
*Before Redesign
"Most deodorants on the market come in hard plastic cases with many tiny components, each of which is made of a different type of plastic, and most of which are not readily recyclable, even if a customer were dedicated enough to dismantle the whole thing".
Problem:
The personal care industry relies on plastic. If you can imagine the number of deodorant sticks you've used in your lifetime that's only one of the products that end up in landfills... from one person. And, because the packaging is often made of mixed plastics, it's rarely even recyclable at the least.
Rebrand Objective:
Reducing plastic waste that is harmful to the environment by creating a reusable deodorant applicator, with refill inserts for environmentally conscious deodorant consumers.
Target Audience:
Industry — Personal Care & Hygiene.
Primary — Personal hygiene consumers who are passionate about sustainability.
Secondary — Anyone who uses deodorant and is ideally interested in/already purchases natural deodorants.
Demographic — Teens and adults ages 12-45 of the upper-middle class,
primarily female.
Ideation
Moodboard & Sketching
Mood Board:
Presenting a natural, minimalistic design. Natural paper materials and textures fit with the brand of this company and immediately give the consumer an idea of what from this product.
Several sketches exploring how to package the deodorant containers and refills.
Prototyping
Concept & Physical 3D Models
Feedback:
1st and 2nd drafts are too bulky for the product —
scale it down.
2nd draft is too minimal. Bring back the design element to add interest.
1st Draft
2nd Draft
Final Draft
Concept:
The cardboard 3D prototypes above propose the initial starter kit which would include one stainless steel, refillable deodorant applicator, and a deodorant bar. The kit is packaged with recycled cardboard which can be broken down and recycled again. The deodorant bar in the kit would be wrapped in a compostable, wax-like paper.
Final Design
Product Photos & Dielines
Solution:
The final prototype and product shots include the initial starter kit described in the previous concept pitch which would include one stainless steel, refillable deodorant applicator, and a deodorant bar.
The stainless steel applicator would be made in the shape of a traditional plastic deodorant applicator. The applicator is a one-time purchase that would last a lifetime. Individual deodorant refills would then be sold separately to continuously refill your stainless steel applicator. The individual deodorant bar would be sold wrapped in a compostable, wax-like paper to ensure fresh quality.
In the Details — To appeal to the target audience and create consistency with the current brand the design of this package was kept simple to reflect the minimalistic intent of the product. Each package has a single scheme based on the scent of the deodorant bar (seen in the dieline images below) with unscented as the original scent. A clean sans-serif font to coordinate with the current logo is used for the entire package. This design is contemporary and geometric which would appeal to and catch the eye of the younger target audience.
