Once Upon a Time: When packaging tells a story

Aiming to inspire luxury brands, the "Once Upon a Time" project dreamt up ten packaging concepts based on fairytales and fueled by the desire for eco-design and commitment to society. "We knew we needed a disruptive proposal capable of communicating our expertise […]. The project started last year with a clear objective of showing the industry the possibilities that label materials could bring to their products. It is precisely the label that can provide a new brand experience, with its textures, finishes and shapes," explained Miguel García, BDM Premium Solutions at Avery Dennison in a statement.

The project collaborators include Avery Dennison, Kurz, Etinsa, Etiquel, Egisa, Estal, Amorim Top Series and Favini, with Supperstudio leading the creative design. The studio translated moral lessons often found in fairytales to the product packaging - featuring a twist reflecting today’s social sustainability issues. Read on for a more detailed description of each product concept.

I'M PRETTY

Based on "The Ugly Duckling" fairytale, this design aims to challenge conventional beauty standards and promote body positivity. Printed on Avery Dennison’s Fasson Soft Touch Black FSC and Fasson rNoble Blanc FSC papers, the label (Etinsa) is offset printed, embossed and features hot stamping with Kurz Luxor foils. The nail polish is bottled in glassmaker Estal’s 30ml DA Allure Dropper bottle topped with a polyester resin screw cap (Amorim Top Series) with laser engraving and red resin inlay. The box (Egisa) is made of Favini’s Dolce Vita White 320g paper and is embellished via offset printing in black, embossing and hot stamping in three different colors.

I'm Pretty nail polish ©Avery Dennison

LOVE ALWAYS WINS

Inspired by "Beauty and the Beast", Love Always Wins aims to inspire positive change. The purifying shower gel comes in 500ml Estal’s Pharma bottle topped with a customized wooden capsule (Amorim Top Series) with laser engraving and natural cork. The flexo-printed label (Etinsa) uses Fasson rNoble Blanc FSC paper (Avery Dennison) and is decorated with embossing, debossing and hot stamping with Kurz Luxor foils. The box (Egisa) uses 100% virgin fiber stock with a natural, uncoated appearance, and is offset printed in pantone colors. It features hot stamping in four colors and is embossed and stamped across the entire surface.

Love Always Wins shower gel ©Avery Dennison

MIRROR MIRROR

Challenging aesthetic norms and promoting the idea that true beauty comes from within, the Mirror Mirror concept draws inspiration from "Snow White". An ornate-shaped, bare label made of Avery Dennison’s Fasson PET 100 Bright Top stock adorns the 100ml DA Tramo bottle (Estal). The fragrance features a polyester resin stopper (Amorim Top Series) with transparent polished finish. A 100% recycled, uncoated board with a highly textured, natural surface was used for the box (Egisa), with the text hot stamped in black. Kurz’s Luxor and Alufin foils, and thermochromatic ink decorate the box.

Mirror Mirror fragrance ©Avery Dennison

TWELVE O'CLOCK

With a modern twist on the "Cinderella" story, the Twelve O’clock concept encourages empowerment and the ability to decide for oneself. The fragrance is bottled in the DA Attico flacon (Estal), which used Avery Dennison’s Embelex labeling service for the text on the facing. A customized metalized thermoplastic stopper (Amorim Top Series) in a shape of a disco ball tops the flacon. The box (Egisa) is made with a high-quality, mass-dyed, midnight-blue pure cotton fabric made from 100% cotton fibers. White hot stamping and holographic film adorn the surface. The box is finished with embossing and stamping to simulate the padded effect.

Twelve O'Clock fragrance ©Avery Dennison

ANTIAGEISM

The Antiageism concept is based on the "Rapunzel" fairytale, and stresses the importance of challenging the age-related stereotypes. The 100ml capacity Magister bottle (Estal) is adorned with a label (Etinsa) printed on Avery Dennison’s Fasson Cane Fiber Paper White stock - made from 95% sugarcane by-products, 5% hemp and linen. It is offset printed, embossed and hot stamped with Kurz Luxor foils. The anti-age serum features a customized wooden overcap (Amorim Top Series) with dark brown varnish and laser engraving. Made with Favini’s Dolce Vita White, the box (Egisa) features illustrations printed in four-color offset and one pantone color. A four-color hot stamping is executed on the folding corners of the box, and a multi-level embossing on hot-foil elements is applied to the rest of the box.

Antiageism anti-age serum ©Avery Dennison

HONEYSTY

Inspired by "Pinocchio", the Honeysty concept urges people to be true to themselves and disregard social media trends. The suppliers chose Estal’s DA Upper glass candle jar with the product name printed on the facing. The main label (Etiquel), printed on Avery Dennison’s Fasson rCrush Citrus stock, is attached to the candle’s agglomerated cork lid (Amorim Top Series). Kurz Luxor foils are hot stamped and debossed onto the label. Made of Avery Dennison’s Fasson Velvet Violet stock, the box (Egisa) features 4-color offset and pantone printing. It is hot stamped with three different foil colors and finished with a matte varnish. The box features a 100% cotton woven ribbon for pulling out the inner case, which is multi-level embossed and stamped.

Honeysty candle ©Avery Dennison

HUFF AND PUFF

The seventh concept, based on "The Three Little Pigs" fairytale, highlights the importance of promoting inclusivity and breaking down preconceived notions and biases. The line features three fragrances bottled in Estal’s Bubble Tote, Bubble Bandeau, and Bubble Cloche bottles decorated with numbers 1, 2 and 3. Stoppers in the shape of pig heads (Estudios Durero) in full color 3D top the bottles. The stoppers use Avery Dennison’s Fasson Velvet Violet and Fasson Velvet Black papers. The three boxes are made of mass-dyed, uncoated, pale pink stock made from 100% virgin fibers. They feature 2-color hot stamping, Kurz Luxor and Colorit hot foil stamping, and embossing.

Huff and Puff fragrance ©Avery Dennison

PETER PUNK

This hair wax prototype encapsulates the rebellious spirit of "Peter Pan" and invites the consumer to embark on their own journey of self-exploration and growth. The 50ml Easy Jar (Estal) is topped with a black anodized screw capsule (Amorim Top Series) with aluminum spikes. A label (Etinsa) attached to the lid is digitally printed on Avery Dennison’s Fasson Matt Wine Black FSC paper and hot stamped with Kurz Colorit foils. Favini’s Bindakote folding board 325g is used for the box (Egisa) due to its ultra-smooth, high-gloss, mirror-like surface. Offset printed in green, the box features black and magenta hot stamping with Kurz’s Luxor foils. The pack is finished with a high-gloss cellulose acetate lamination, high-gloss magenta selective screen printing and micro-embossing structure on the "cool peter punk wax" text.

Peter Punk hair wax ©Avery Dennison

GREEDY

A bath-bomb in the shape of an egg inspired by "The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs" encourages the consumer to reconsider the power of ambition and perception of greed. Made out of thermoformed agglomerated cork (Amorim Top Series), the egg-shaped pack features an embossed label (Etinsa) printed on Avery Dennison’s Fasson Naturel Touch Craft paper. The label is hot stamped with Kurz’s Luxor foils.

Greedy bath-bomb ©Avery Dennison

FAIRY SHOWER

Inspired by "Sleeping Beauty", the last prototype “encourages one’s innate abilities that can be a powerful source of joy and fulfillment”. The shower gel pack is crafted in the shape of a medical IV bag out of Avery Dennison’s Brushed Silicone A-PS paper. The text is printed directly onto the bag.

Fairy Shower shower gel ©Avery Dennison

The entire collection was presented by Avery Dennison at an event in Barcelona last June. This is not the first collaboration of its kind between packaging suppliers: Avery Dennison, KURZ and Estal spearheaded a similar, but unrelated, project Make a Mark in 2021 and 2022. The third installment of Make a Mark will be unveiled at LUXE PACK Monaco this October.