Package Design - December 2013 - 14

Fulfilling a

Redesigned
packaging is
helping a beauty
entrepreneur make
waves in Hawaii.

Tropical
Fantasy

By Mark Vruno

A

s December temperatures dip,
they inspire many Americans to
think about warming their bones
on postholiday vacations in climates more tropical. The sun's allure is
what compelled SiSi Martin to move
5,000 miles from Long Island, NY, to
the tropical island of Maui, Hawaii. The
self-proclaimed "ocean person" wanted
to captain her own boat and teach windsurfing, both of which made for a fun
career but are not necessarily conducive
to her fair, Irish skin.
Never one to accept the status quo,
Martin took matters into her own
hands, five years ago, and started making her own sunscreens. She designed
the packaging for what would become
Native Maui, an organic and chemicalfree skin care brand. "But I have no art
background so they weren't very good,"
she admits.
About two years ago, Martin enlisted
the help of financial partner Roger Coleman, to embark on a project to move the
Native Maui brand upmarket. He recommended McLean Design, located back
on the mainland in Walnut Creek, CA.
The packaging project came to frui-

For more information, visit
McLean Design, Inc.,
www.mclean-design.com
Montebello Packaging,
www.montebellopkg.com

14

DECEMBER 2013

tion late this fall, with Native Maui
products, commanding premium price
points ($30 to $35 per bottle) in spas
across Maui.

Merging sky and ocean
"It all started with a strategic process of
understanding the brand and its origin,"
Ian McLean, founder and creative

director of McLean Design, explains.
The agency created a design that provides visual continuity across all SKUs.
An inverted droplet-shaped shield simulates hand-carved island art in an earthy,
brown tone. The logo's aloe leaves, sun
rays and crashing waves all are deliberate
design elements, according to McLean's
senior designer Trevor Thompson. So,
Package Design - December 2013

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