Brand & Market Alignment

The packaging system was developed to position IRON STEP as a rugged, performance-driven insole brand for workers who spend long hours on hard floors. The visual language reinforces durability and trust through high-contrast industrial styling, bold benefit callouts, and clear variant differentiation. For retail and e-commerce, the front panel prioritizes fast scanning of the key promise (cushion + heavy-duty support) while maintaining consistent branding across SKUs.

Structural Concept & Inspiration

The structural approach focused on a compact folding carton optimized for retail peg display and efficient merchandising. The dieline and panel layout were designed to keep critical information readable across the front, side, and back panels, while reserving clear areas for barcodes, regulatory details, and print tolerances. The system supports scalable updates for additional variants by keeping a consistent hierarchy and icon framework without redesigning the full package.

Functional Features

Peg-Ready Hang Tab

The folding carton includes a peg-ready hang tab designed for retail hook display. This improves visibility on shelf, keeps units organized, and supports consistent merchandising across stores.

Protective Folding Carton Structure

The carton structure provides reliable protection during shipping and handling, helping prevent crushing and keeping the product presentation intact. The format is optimized for efficient packing, storage, and retail presentation.

Fast Front-of-Pack Readability

The front panel is designed for quick scanning in both retail and e-commerce. Key benefits and differentiators (cushioning, shock absorption, heavy-duty support) are prioritized with a clear hierarchy, reducing shopper confusion and improving decision speed.

Graphic Design

As the graphic and packaging designer on the project, I developed the full visual system and production-ready artwork for the folding cartons. This included:

High-contrast industrial styling aligned with a workwear/performance audience
A consistent typographic hierarchy for product name, series, and key benefit callouts
Icon-based communication to simplify feature comparison across variants
Print-ready files prepared with safe zones, dieline tolerances, barcode areas, and production constraints in mind
Finishing details including emboss/raised accents (realces) and spot UV to enhance premium feel and shelf impact
A scalable layout system to support multiple SKUs while maintaining brand consistency

The result is a retail-ready carton system that balances strong shelf presence, clear feature communication, and manufacturing feasibility.

Project Outcomes

The final folding cartons improved shelf presence and made key benefits easier to understand at a glance. The consistent front-of-pack hierarchy and icon system supported faster comparison between variants, while the premium finishes (raised accents and spot UV) enhanced perceived value for both retail displays and e-commerce imagery.

My Role

I led the packaging design development end to end, combining brand integration, structural layout alignment, and production-ready artwork. This included building a scalable system for multiple SKUs, preparing print files with dielines, safe zones, barcode areas, and print tolerances, and coordinating final details for premium finishes such as emboss/raised effects and spot UV.

Impact & Learnings

This project reinforced the importance of balancing bold shelf communication with real manufacturing constraints. It strengthened my ability to create scalable packaging systems, maintain legibility across panels, and deliver print-ready designs that translate cleanly from concept to production for both retail and digital channels.