Client:
Squidge & Pip
Entrepreneur Mary Lord is the creative force behind Squidge & Pip, a small company with big ambitions to become a benchmark brand in the market for baby and toddler products.
The challenge:
To make the transition from working with independent shops to supplying John Lewis, Mary needed to look again at the structural packaging design of her product, a unique teething ring for babies.
The new packaging had to be a show-stopper – something that would grab the attention of John Lewis customers, and appeal to other potential clients at trade fairs. It had to meet John Lewis’ specific point-of-sale requirements. And it had to be robust – in big high street stores, hundreds of customers would be handling the products on a daily basis.
Another major part of the challenge was to create something that reflected Mary’s values. Environmental consideration is high on the Squidge & Pip agenda, so the packaging had to be as sustainable as possible.
What we did
Through SIP, Mary approached John Kirkby, creative director of Design Futures*, a commercial agency based at Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in structural packaging design.
John and his team have years of experience in the sector. They understand the requirements of big retailers. To be in with a chance of success, Squidge & Pip needed a bespoke design.
Throughout the project, John’s team consulted with a packaging manufacturer to ensure their ideas were feasible. Working to Mary’s brief, they produced a series of mock-ups until they found the best solution.
Clever use of layered, corrugated cardboard meant they were able to reduce the amount of plastic required and deliver something unique – with strong shelf impact.
* Design Team of the Year 2017
UK Packaging Awards
The results
Businesses like Mary’s can find it difficult to engage with large packaging manufacturers. And off-the-peg solutions can be limiting. Working with an independent structural packaging design agency gave Mary the freedom to develop a unique design that would maximise her product’s potential.
The end result? You can see it on the shelves in John Lewis, which for a small company is a big deal. With our support, Mary is taking her business to a new level, without compromising her vision.