You know Pusterla as a quality, ISO 9001 Certified American manufacturing operation. You’ve seen the unique mix of traditional and cutting-edge technology in our shop and the hard working craftspeople who staff it, but there’s more behind our boxes.
At Pusterla, we are constantly designing new concepts and refining existing processes. Design is essential to the consistent quality of our packaging and in devising our most ambitious projects. We like to consider ourselves designer-manufacturers, able to provide solutions in all aspects of packaging production.
So, when the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) needed a custom box for an exclusive selection of gourmet chocolate for sale in their university shop – shopSCAD, we were thrilled to contribute our creative packaging design expertise to the project.
Savannah Supreme
SCAD is one of the most celebrated design institutions in the United States. The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit accredited university, offering more than 100 academic degree programs in more than 40 majors across its locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Hong Kong; Lacoste, France; and online via SCAD eLearning. To box up an exclusive honey-chocolate bar from renowned Savannah chocolatier Adam Turoni, we worked with SCAD to create an artfully designed base and lid box.
One look is all it takes to recognize that this is an exceptional box. After all, SCAD alumni Paige Firnberg (B.F.A., Graphic Design, 2014) and Julia Palomäki (B.F.A., Furniture Design, 2006) designed the packaging. Pusterla collaborated with SCAD to modify the already clever design into a full-fledged custom packaging experience.
Creative Packaging Design
The standout feature of the box is a gold foil relief of SCAD’s original flagship building Poetter Hall building framed by a die cut window. Surgically precise foil stamping renders every feature in clean, defined lines. The red brick hall is a feast for the eyes with its prominent towers and archways, and the iconic architecture translates flawlessly onto the box.
The die cut window above the Poetter Hall design makes the packaging experience all the more dynamic. This feature communicates the caliber of the design before even opening the box.
Strong graphics are key to any creative packaging design-even if it’s only a logo. However, it’s structural design that separates premium custom packaging from the pack. When combined with gorgeous graphics such as the rendering of Poetter Hall, structural design provides beholders of the box an opportunity to utilize their senses and explore through touch and mechanical action of sliding the base from the lid.
The die cut window was included as a means of fitting all requisite copy on the box without crowding or overloading the lid. So, instead, some of the copy is foil stamped onto the base and made visible by cutting out a section of the lid.
The gold foil, present throughout the design, was chosen specifically to match the ribbon of the box. This feature is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical, providing convenient access to the gourmet chocolate within while adding a splash of color to the design.
Rainbow paper in Sapphire from Ecological Fibers lends tremendous color. The use of specialty papers such as this guarantees a greater engagement between recipients and the box. Handling Rainbow, even in its uncoated state, conveys a feeling of prestige and handmade quality. It’s materials like Rainbow that transform an average box into a true creative packaging design.
Like a Box of Chocolates
This is not your average box of chocolates. This is a keepsake as much as it is confection. It celebrates Savannah with world-class chocolates made in the city, it celebrates SCAD as a design institution, and really, it celebrates design itself.
This project demonstrates the process of refinement inherent to designing packaging. With the talents of SCAD’s own Paige Finberg and Julia Palomäki at the helm, we began with a gorgeous design. From there, it was a matter of tweaking the artwork to ensure absolutely perfect foil stamping of every line, across hundreds of boxes. Finally, to accommodate the copy included in the design, our experienced designers utilized the structure of the box to our advantage and separated copy between the base and lid.
Working with a respected school of design like SCAD, we knew this project was bound to be a marvel of packaging design. But even more than that, this project represents the collaborative nature of the packaging design process and how we and our clients can come together to create the best box possible.
Are you looking for artfully designed custom packaging? Get in touch with us today!