Consumer Packaged Goods

Over the years I have designed a huge range of consumer products. The binding element for many of them has been the need for effective packaging. At retail, a product only has a few seconds to grab the attention of potential consumers. To that end, I have designed or directed all matter of stickers, sell sheets, belly bands, j-wraps, blow-in cards, blister packs, clam shells, handled cases, hang tags, and more. Some of the challenges in packaging products include the physical area for sell material (especially when two or three languages often need to be displayed), how a product is displayed, what its competition is, and how to attract attention. Below are packaging solutions devised to solve a range of challenges in specific retail channels such as big box stores, boutiques, direct-to-consumer kiosks, and mass market retailers. The packaging conveys value, sentimentality, fun, or ease of use, depending on the product.

Labels, Hang Tags, Blow-in Cards & Boxed Goods

Shown here, from top left: Labels and sell sheets for Mary Disomma; Branded hang tags for Habit Goods (now CB Station); Belly bands, brand tags, and hang tags for Pockimals; Boxes and stickers for my namesake brand, Ana Davis.

Shown Here: Keepsake Baby Items sold at mass and in gift channels. The challenge in packaging baby items is often to strike a balance between promoting the product and keeping it special–these items are, after all, for the most precious time in many people’s lives. In order to use one packaging solution per item for all sales channels, the sell material had to feel special enough to be given as a gift at a baby shower. Using a sell band that felt as decorative as it was descriptive was key to achieving our goal. Shown here are variations of sell bands we used on keepsake baby items.

Boxed Sets

Shown here: Four pack stationery sets sold at Costco and Sam’s Club. The challenges in packaging this item included the manner of display (these are sold flat on a table) and their competition (both books and games). These needed to look fun, stand out on a crowded flat surface, and appear substantial enough that they could compete with products that have greater perceived value. We created a decorative sell band which looks nice, and because it wraps across the front of the box overlapping all four items, we were able to call out each component directly. On the back of the box we put the large surface area to good use, fanning out each element of the four products and elaborating on their contents. This product proved very successful at the clubs and is still in production today.

Paper Dolls Kits

Shown Here: Dress-Up™ paper doll kits, sold in most channels. As a Creative Director, I developed many products. The most successful of them was the Dress-up™ paper doll kits. This product created an entirely new product line that was distinct from other paper dolls in the marketplace by combining various materials into the kits for a unique play experience for kids. After the initial format sold into big box stores and sold out on at retail, the publisher acquired the licenses to iconic character brands to apply to the format. We developed different sizes, price points, and presentations of the content to further grow the SKU count that spun out from the success of the initial line. The result was a product that expanded our retail footprint, had a massive ROI, and is a continuing source of revenue for the publisher.

The kit was conceived of as a modernized paper doll kit. Rather than classic tabbed clothes, we used clings for the outfits. We included materials like gems, ribbons, and fabrics to add a crafting element to the kit, and staggered the interior pages so that at retail the consumer could easily see the contents through the die-cut cover (far left). The inside back of the item opened up into a combination play scene and storage folder (center left). The initial success of this item invited a broad range of licensing opportunities, and in turn, more variations of the product were developed. In order to take advantage of powerful brands like Disney Princesses that are licensed into extremely narrow categories, we repackaged the product into a book format (middle right). Key to every version of the format was the back cover, which included a beauty shot of the item in use, and highlighted the contents and dimensional playscene.

Boxed Value Items

Shown Here: Sharing Memories Boxed Kits sold at mass retail. Margins in the wholesale industry are often tight, but if you sell into some of the biggest retail chains, then you understand just how tight they can be. These boxed kits needed to have inexpensive packaging that effectively gave a sense of value. We used a closed box with a lot of surface area for printing. We enumerated and drew attention to the piece count, spread out the contents, and highlighted the playful artwork so that it still looked like fun for kids. We also needed two sizes for the kit, one version that could stand on a shelf and a smaller footprint to hang on pegs, both are shown here.