I was contracted to create custom packaging for CEC Entertainment's employee engagement program. My client provided me with the design that their in-house designer had created, which they were not satisfied with. Despite the lack of information provided by the client about what they did not like and what they might want to see, I took on the challenge.
One of the primary issues with the original design was that it lacked a professional presentation. Additionally, there was no white space, which made it less appropriate for a target audience of working adults. The clip-art style stars and the golden ticket also did not align with the client's branding.
By browsing the client's social media, I found that they often used circular shapes to represent pizza and had imagery of mice playing instruments. I decided to use these elements to create a circular shape using a roll of gaming tickets, with each letter of "CONGRATULATIONS" placed inside a ticket. However, this was not immediately distinguishable, so I made some adjustments to the design and shortened it to CONGRATS. To address the overbearing use of purple and green, I added a purple vignette overlay to allow the photos to stand out.
To complement the design, I used a professional-looking mockup to show how the packaging would look and function in the real world.
The client was pleased with my design and made minimal changes. As a result, I was requested to complete the remaining items in the package, including a sublimated acrylic award, recipient certificate, and a letter from the CEO of the company. The client provided an 8-bit style retro graphic that they had created, which I incorporated into my design to maintain the branding throughout all the pieces seamlessly.
My work on this project was so satisfactory that the client requested me to work on their other pizza franchise, Peter Piper Pizza. Overall, my ability to understand and incorporate the client's branding, my attention to detail, and my professional presentation of the final design made this project a success.
