Package Design - November/December 2014 - 40

Silver attributes this open and empty canvas
idea to Envision Creative Group's creative
approach when every aspect needs to be
recreated.
This is in contrast to a "standard playbook"
that other agencies may use to maximize efficiencies, adds David Smith, president of Envision
Creative Group. "Approaching every project fresh
and from a completely new vantage point is a lot
more work, actually, as we don't have any repur-

Nicole in terms of how that was going to function
and work."
This is just one of Conlay's many strengths,
Smith and Silver add. "Nicole has a great strength
in and passion for the tactile experience," Silver
says. "That plays a huge role into package design
especially." In a humble voice, Conlay responds,
"When it comes to packaging texture, it is really
important to me. I think being able to feel and
touch something, it takes the experience to a
whole new level."
LEVERAGING THE
EXPERTISE OF
PA R T N E R S

Silver notes that inclusion of
the FiberMark LaCrema
Ivory paper in the box top is
one of the many reasons
why shoppers will start
thinking about the use
experience upon first interaction with the package.
"The coating feels like a soft
cheek," she notes.
In consideration of self-service environments, gift-giving, and even
assisted sales during the busy holiday seasons, the competitor
She also credits Conlay
included descriptions of each brush on the box.
for her insistence on a prototype that could sell the brand
posing or pooling of concepts that we've done
message through touch. "Nicole was fearless in
before," he concedes. "But a one-off, every time,
saying, 'If we're going to do this, we'd should do it
custom design meets our goal for our clients, to
right. She told FiberMark, 'Your materials are
position them to make the biggest impact on
awesome and could help make this product what
their target audience."
it needs to be.' Yes, we had alternatives for creatSmith and Silver also attributes the Envision
ing stuff in house. But utilizing the vendors'
concept's success to the design strengths of
expertise along with ours really did help gave it
graphic designer and illustrator Nicole Conlay
like the texture that it needed."
and the feedback of all 11 team members at EnviConlay adds, "Wes Ryon of Eyeon Finishing
sion. "Other people in the office, who were
and the contest sponsor [FiberMark North
directly assigned to this project, were involved in America Inc.] were just awesome to me. Fiberproviding feedback and opinions," Smith says.
Mark did more than provide the Ivory paper. It
"Everyone including people in sales had a say, but even PMS matched Kelley Quan's pink for the
ultimately it came down to Nicole's initial, strong
inside of the top of the box. Then Eyeon Finishing
design vision.
wrapped all of the boxes flawlessly in that nice
Smith also took the opportunity to correct a
soft-touch paper."
misconception that I had about the prototype
AT T U N E D T O T H E
base. I previously had thought the design was
created by a local artist. "I think what's important B R A N D ' S V I S I O N
Upon learning the contest's results, Quan
to know is he didn't design it," Smith clarifies.
expressed how impressed she was with the win"We did the design, and he basically carried out
ning team and how Envision Creative Group
the execution. The design solely came from

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

At time of publication, Quan was in discussions
with the winning agency to add ﬁnal touches to
the concept, such as including branding
elements on the base stands.

embodied the characteristics of her makeup
brushes into the concept of the package design.
"The voters' response to Envision's design
clearly tells me that it's a winner," Quan continues. "People want it, they find it sexy, and they
put together the aesthetic and tactile connection between the brushes and the packaging. It
was my goal to have a design that would make
shoppers covet both the product and the
package."
At time of publication, she was in talks with
Envision to bring the concept to final fruition.
"People who have been following my brand for
the last five years have shared with me feedback
that the Envision concept is a really great design,
but they thought there's an opportunity to
improve its branding potential," she says. "When
a user takes the top part of the box away, there's
no branding whatsoever on the stand. There's no
logo or brand color. There's no definitive Kelley
Quan mark on that stand. That is one thing that I
would need to implement someway, somewhere
on the stand, somehow."
Quan is also concerned that many of the photos taken for online voting showcased the single
brush box with the less expensive white brush.
She wants to make sure online the black-handled
brushes look just as good as the white in the
packaging. Neither of these concerns have dampened her enthusiasm to continue working with
Envision, though. "We are two brands that
belong together," Quan says. "They are a smaller
American agency, and I'm the little engine that
could." l

Package Design - November/December 2014

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