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.
Start
Creating
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.
Packaging
Step by step towards more sustainable boxes, sleeves and labels, without losing impact or aesthetic.
Promotional
A hands-on plan to make flyers, gifts and campaigns more tactile, thoughtful and waste-aware.
Print
Try new papers and inks in small, practical steps for print work that feels better and tells more.
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.