What does this package need to communicate and how can the material reinforce that message? Natural luxury? Handmade simplicity? Sustainability? Let the message guide your material and form choices.
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Every design begins with a choice, and your materials matter. Whether you work in packaging, print or promotion, these paths help you experiment with biobased options that inspire through texture and story. Choose your direction and take the first step toward more intentional, tactile design.
Look beyond standard packaging materials. There are papers made from hemp, grass, and agricultural waste; fibers with visible textures; and plant-based bioplastics. These materials offer new qualities: softness, irregularity, warmth.
Once you’ve selected a promising material, test how it performs in practice. Does it fold well? Can it be scored, glued, or cut? How does it react to print? These practical questions matter, and your printer or material supplier can often offer valuable advice early in the process.
Instead of hiding the surface, let it be seen. Use less ink, leave areas blank, or apply blind embossing to reveal its structure. Treat the material as a visual and tactile element. Not a problem to solve, but a texture to design with.
Sustainability doesn’t stop at the paper. Think about the label, the insert, the seal. Use materials that can be recycled or composted together. Avoid combining plastic with paper if they can’t be separated. Even small decisions, like choosing a paper-based closure, contribute to a coherent, low-impact design.
Don’t let your sustainable choices stay hidden. Add a line that explains what the package is made of, or what makes it special. You could print a short sentence, use a symbol or QR code that links to more information. If your material carries meaning, let the user feel and know it.
What does this piece need to leave behind: an idea, a feeling, a question? Is it meant to be held, remembered, passed on? Let that guide the tone, scale, and material of your design. In promotional work, meaning is carried not just by the message, but by how it is delivered.
Choose materials that are not only renewable, but also visually and physically engaging. Papers made from hemp, straw, or agricultural fibres bring softness and texture. These are all properties which can enhance the experience.
In promotional design, the first touch matters more than structural strength. How does the paper feel in the hand? Does it fold, crackle, absorb ink in ways that support the message? A well-chosen material can slow someone down and keep them engaged.
Let texture and tone shape your layout. Consider where a hand will land first, how the piece unfolds, or how it might be stored or displayed. Treat the material as part of the narrative, not just the canvas.
Promotional pieces often live short lives, and that’s okay. Choose materials that age beautifully or decompose without harm. Instead of permanence, think of impact. A flyer made of agricultural paper that softens in the rain can say more than a glossy card that lasts forever.
Tell your audience what they’re holding. Include a note, texture cue, or QR code that links to more context. When people know the object in their hands was grown, not manufactured, it adds value and makes your message not only felt, but remembered.
In print, we often begin with layout and typography, but what if the surface shaped the design? Consider what the paper should feel like, not just what it should show. The print begins long before ink is applied.
Look for biobased or uncoated papers that invite touch and bring texture into the reading experience. Whether made from grass fibres, hemp, or agricultural waste, these materials often add tone, softness, or resistance that enrich the visual rhythm of a spread.
Different papers absorb ink differently. Some soften sharp lines, others deepen colours. Test how your type, images or white space hold up or transform. Ask your printer how your chosen material reacts under pressure, drying time or layering.
In print, material is part of the message. Don’t design around it, but design with it. Leave space for it to breathe. A quiet margin on the right paper says more than a headline on the wrong one.
Printed matter can stay on a desk for weeks, or be reread years later. Choose materials that age with grace, and design to be handled. Folding, light, time, and even fingerprints can become part of the experience. A layer of meaning.
Whether subtle or stated, let the reader know what they’re holding. Mention the paper’s source, the ink’s nature, or the thinking behind your choice. In thoughtful print, every detail contributes to trust, clarity, and care and biobased materials make that visible.