New Year, New Packaging

You might notice my products' labels have gotten a design refresh. The wrap-around labels for notepads and mini notes have been updated. My tea towel bands feature a new design and are now printed on a thicker, more durable paper. And perhaps the biggest undertaking was switching my boxed cards to entirely plastic-free packaging.

First, I wanted to better highlight and celebrate my brand. My old packaging listed the product name (like “tea towel” or “notepad”) before Hazelmade, but now Hazelmade comes first. It's also important to note that my new packaging is not a rebrand. I wanted to keep the same color palette and materials so that you could appreciate the subtle design improvements but still recognize the products as Hazelmade. I also updated my materials to enhance durability with thicker papers and stronger sticker seals.

 

I updated my packaging to be more sustainable, especially with my boxed cards. I now use plastic-free kraft cardboard packaging for my boxed cards. Switching my boxed card packaging took over a year. First, I weighed the pros and cons of going plastic-free, took feedback from my customers and also talked with the shopowners who carry my work in their stores. Once I had decided to take the leap and go plastic-free, I had to research and find the right USA-made card box vendor. I had to design and print samples. I also tested the samples' durability by packaging cards in the new paper boxes and shipping them from one side of the USA to the other. Finally, I had to create a system to organize our inventory and flush out the old plastic boxes as the new kraft cardboard boxes arrived. Going plastic-free was a huge process, but it was definitely worthwhile.

The biggest lesson I learned throughout this entire project is that all of my changes have to be intentional. I'm not going to rush into a change just to have change; instead I want to implement each change on its own timeline. For example, I explored transitioning my single cards to plastic-free packaging, but after research and talking with shopowners who carry my work in their stores, I decided to focus on just transitioning box cards. I still want plastic-free packaging for my single cards that protects the product while reducing its environmental impact. However, I want to make sure that I have taken my time and investigated every option before I make that change.

Signup for my newsletter for more conversations like this one!