Wilde by Oscar Packaging
How we did it
How we did it
Wilde by Oscar is the creation of celebrity stylist and two-time Australian Hairdresser of the Year winner, and owner of Oscar Oscar salons across southeast Queensland, Oscar Cullinan. Oscar discovered that thanks to our uniquely extreme environment, Australian hair needs more love and care than its international sisters. This led him to develop a product that revitalises and transforms hair, letting all who use it experience vibrant, healthy and truly Wilde locks.
What’s a product without an awesome packaging design? We like to think of it as a taco without the tortilla, incomplete (and messy). Wilde by Oscar couldn’t just have any packaging though. It needed to be unique and enchanting, to grab the attention of customers out in the Wilde.
Product packaging design that achieves this takes time, some serious skills and that By Ninja touch, which we’ve summarised into a seven-step guide.
Think of this as a brand’s equivalent of an overseas trip to “find yourself”. Starting a new brand means you’re starting with a clean slate, which is great, as long as you intend on adding personality and meaning to it. Wilde by Oscar needed an identity, a purpose and a vision, which we were more than happy to help cultivate.
We’ve already rambled on about the ins and outs of branding and brand discovery in our branding series, so we won’t go too far into it. But just know it’s a vital component to any successful product.
Every brand needs to be saying something. Nike tells us to Just Do It, KitKat tells us to Take a Break. What is your brand telling its consumers? This is exactly what we asked God of Hair, Oscar Cullinan before typing a single word of copy, or compiling a single product packaging design element. If you don’t know what you’re trying to say, how can you possibly say it?
Once we’d settled on an up-town, high-end aesthetic tone, we fly-kicked into action, creating a minimalist concept design that said it all, without saying a word. We named the products and crafted the packaging copy, ensuring the messaging was aligned and impactful.
it's time, to let your hair be WILDE
Once we had the brand story and messaging, it was time to kick into the practicalities of the product packaging. The primary packaging had to be constructed from specific virgin plastics to ensure the formula (containing active native ingredients and essential oils) was not compromised. Customer safety was also a high priority, ruling out glass — queue enormous slippery when wet sign. So, we sourced a plastic solution that can be easily recycled in Australia. The secondary product packaging, aside from being our favourite part, is fully recyclable, made from paper cylinders. We originally investigated four different design options, testing each for product protection, impact on the shelf, ease of assembly, and overall cost.
We set out to source and manufacture all packaging in Australia, working extensively with local suppliers and printers. However, due to cost restraints we had to resort to international supply chains. Our goal is always to find solutions that meet the brand and the budget, which is exactly what we achieved here with our final product packaging design for Wilde by Oscar.
Once we had the samples in our fierce little hands, it was time to put them to the test. What better way to see if the materials we chose could withstand use than to see them in action. We enlisted the help of the formulations team and Oscar Oscar salons (along with our very own Ninjas) to make sure the entire packaging solution had the tick of approval.
Everybody can understand the thrill of tracking a delivery, checking the mailbox seconds after placing the order. We meticulously kept a close eye on everything to ensure the goods arrived in Australia, and were cleared through customs into the hands of the formulations team, all within a few days of each other. Talk about a streamlined delivery!
Although our product packaging doesn’t actually have a bad side, it’s still vital to produce imagery that fully captures the essence of the brand, and the specific story of each product. We staged a full photoshoot to achieve this and to tell the brand’s story through imagery.
The content we captured will be used across digital and print marketing and advertising, showcasing the products, brand and packaging design in all their glory.
You heard it here first, Wilde by Oscar has much more to come. We're now working on the next product in the series, and the expansion of the range, which we cannot wait to share with you (it’s pretty exciting stuff).
Our creations are our pride and joy, so we don’t just hand them over and hope for the best. No, we regularly check in with the Oscar Oscar team to see how the products are being received and how sales are kicking. We also check to make sure the products are all arriving in pristine condition, are easy to stack and care for. Why? So we can learn and use this information to inform the range extension. But we would still be checking in regardless. You see, we care. We care that our work is achieving what it set out to do, we care that Oscar is happy and we care about learning and developing our understanding to make future packaging designs and creations even better.
End Note
The Wilde range may only consist of two products (so far), but we won’t rest until we help Oscar achieve his dream, that every woman in Australia gets the chance to let their hair be Wilde.
If you like what you see and want to see more, you can scroll through more of our product packaging design and origami masterpieces here. If you need packaging that embodies your brand story and resonates with your customers, our expert product packaging team is on standby, eager to help and ready to create a packaging experience just for your customers.
Doing things differently starts with a conversation.