Aura grows meticulously crafted, world-class cannabis designed for users to enhance their day-to-day experiences. Zenpack and Haptik Studio developed an atypical brand identity, packaging, photography, and a website that offers a modern alternative in a crowded market. Aura offers a fresh approach to cannabis by describing the strains as profiles—Blaze, Roar, Cosmic and Flare—designed for customers to learn more about the effects so they can personalize their experience based on individual goals. Each profile comes to life through vibrant colors, specialized printing, and premium materials, inviting the customer to make a deeper connection with the products inside. The brand needed to reach a new audience while honoring their cannabis expertise. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Aura has over 75 years of combined cultivation experience. They knew the rejuvenating power of their plants, but they needed their customers to understand as well. Aura was on a mission to present the finest cannabis in the world as more than just something to consume, but a restorative tool. This unconventional approach would require a comprehensive branding study and industry research. Aura wanted an elegant, sophisticated, and powerful brand identity. From a graphic design standpoint, the main challenge was depicting the “aura cloud” and the four effects, abstract concepts more suitable for words. Aura imagined their brand to be more like a winery with distinct varieties intended for steady enjoyment, one sip at a time. The branding would also come to life across multiple surfaces, materials, and mediums. Once the brand guide was established, Haptik and Zenpack would need to apply designs on jars, boxes, pouches, and the Aura website. Texture, color, and graphics had to be consistent in order to maintain the brand experience across physical and digital touchpoints. The Aura logo is bold, emotional, and distinctive. The logo mark suggests an uplifting movement from an artistic brush stroke. The positive and negative space communicates both energy and calmness, which represents the wide array of products and their effects. The color palette is both functional as product line color codes and emotional as an abstraction for the effects. Overlapping to create new shades of the same color, biomorphic energy clouds flow across the packages, representing the exceptional moment when the customer and product combine to create something new. We decided to use lithographic printing on textured paper for the entire labeling system, covering boxes, cartons, jars, and pouches. This semi-coated substrate provides a vibrant color palette while keeping the surface matte for the foil finish to come alive. More than a throw-away package, the substantial structure invites customers to cherish each item and look forward to the ritual experience. The reusable pre-roll packaging places each joint into its own sleeve, making each precious and protected. Interior textured paper, unexpected hits of gold foil messaging—every detail is intentional and designed to spark joy.

The Zenlock Child-Resistant system is the first all-paper rigid box solution in cannabis packaging. No stranger to cannabis packaging, Zenpack has been collaborating with California cannabis companies for the past few years. Thanks to our clients and friends in the industry, we became aware of the 2020 California deadline requiring that all cannabis products must be enclosed in Child-Resistant packaging. Once we understood the legislature, we immersed ourselves in the world of child-resistant packaging. We talked to our clients, analyzed samples and familiarized ourselves with testing procedures. The results were clear: too much plastic and too many overly complicated CR mechanisms. Our three design requirements also became clear. We were determined to create packaging using only recyclable materials, we wanted an elevated product presentation, and we needed to build a flexible CR system to accommodate diverse and specific needs for cannabis products. Currently, most child-resistant mechanisms on the market are physically and cognitively difficult to operate. While inhibiting children is the goal, physically challenging packaging can affect broader accessibility. In response, we designed human-centered packaging featuring a mechanism that is sensitive and discrete without being physically taxing. After multiple prototypes with simple 2-part opening sequences, we landed on the final Zenlock system that balances graphics and mechanics to be intuitive for adults yet impenetrable to young hands. The system is designed for key categories in the cannabis industry and easily expands to new product needs. We strategically placed the mechanism and instructional graphics so that the entire box can be used for branding with high-quality print finishes. The rigid box also provides structure and stability, giving weight to the premium goods inside. And every Zenlock box is constructed using post-consumer recycled paper—the industry’s first sustainable CR rigid box system.

Brooklyn Robot Foundry is a physical space and online platform where children are given the opportunity to learn basic STEAM concepts through hands-on robot-building. They reached out to Zenpack for a rebrand and packaging refresh in order to reach a wider audience through at-home education. Printed with custom robot illustrations, the sustainable packaging solution tells the story of the BRF slogan and approach to learning—“Building fun together”. The packages are eco-friendly, designed for limitless content combinations, and feature built-in tools to incorporate the box into every project. When students sign-up for a remote robot building class, a few days later they receive a bright orange box filled with all the parts, tools, and accessories they need to create a one-of-a-kind robot creation. The BRF team needed packages that were flexible, sustainable, and interactive. With so many different classes, the box would have to accommodate an endless combination of parts, tools and accessories. BRF students were known to get creative with regular cardboard boxes—canvas to decorate, parts holder, flying robot landing pad. Why not create something that fuels their creativity? We started with a complete rebrand, including logos, colors, fonts, copywriting, brand identity, and original robot illustrations. We illustrated six colorful cartoon robots and multiple parts and tools chosen by the BRF team, and then wrote a simple story about the robots collaborating to achieve a common goal. Meanwhile, our structural engineering team designed three main boxes, a glue gun box and a mug box. The illustrations extend to collateral cards, sticker sheets and activity sheets produced by Zenpack. The final box is designed to provide excitement before the class begins. Each side of the box tells a chapter in the story, and each layer offers an activity or directions. Kids are introduced to Bitsy Bot, Pet Puppyborg, Artomatron, Proppy Jalopy, Robo Rex, and Bambino Beast working together—outside on the Brooklyn streets and inside in the Foundry—to build a sign with the BRF tagline, “Building fun together.” We created an exterior sticker labeling system for smooth and efficient fulfillment. The production team sorts through hundreds of designs and thousands of parts when assembling robot kits. They apply a class sticker to the back of each box, which is then covered with an Avery label with variable class information. Since the sticker area is designed into the print, the team only needs to print new stickers when a class or robot is added to the curriculum. Once class begins, students can build their own phone or tablet stand using the existing box and a provided shoelace. The box comes with pre-cut holes and an instruction card from Bitsy Bot. This built-in feature gives students an immediate sense of accomplishment, and the adjustable shoelace allows students to tilt the device forward, transforming it into a hands-free overhead camera for teachers to see their progress. True to the BRF do-it-yourself core, the packaging celebrates ingenuity and facilitates kids to learn while building fun together.

Handcrafted from the cleanest ingredients and materials, the Crown Affair brush, combs, hair oil and towel are a complete set of tools for healthy hair. Such a refined haircare toolkit needed an elegant variety of packaging that maintained brand continuity across materials and printing methods. Crown Affair presented Zenpack with beautifully-crafted products, a strong graphic design language and a distinct color palette. The next step was to create a cost-efficient packaging system that showcased the hair care regimen while presenting a cohesive brand story across a variety of product sizes. For Crown Affair, hair care is more than a daily practice, it’s a meditative ritual to spark joy. The direct-to-consumer company understands that everyone has a personal relationship with their hair and cares deeply about the objects and products they use to care for it. Crown Affair’s products are formulated with the cleanest, most effective ingredients and materials, including combs made using 100 percent plant-based acetate and brushes made from beechwood. Along with brushes and combs, they make hair oil, towels and other products; various sizes but the same level of refinement. This haircare ritual required packaging that encompassed all of these products, a system with unified materials, colors and textures. Tapping into Zenpack’s fabric knowledge and experience, Crown Affair asked Zenpack to produce carrying bags for their brush, combs and towel. Crown Affair was striving for a luxurious bag to match the handcrafted hair products they would carry, something the customers would actually use. The cloth also needed to complement the packaging paper, so Zenpack sourced a textured cotton that was both durable and soft. Once the fabric was chosen, Crown Affair then challenged Zenpack to print their logo within the standard 3mm tolerance. Zenpack’s printing experts spent many hours researching, developing and testing, resulting in an entirely new precision printing process for luxury-quality bags. Throughout the design and development stage, Zenpack approached the products as a single, evolving system. They designed three shipping packages to accommodate the entire line of products, including The Set, the all-in-one healthy hair kit. Each of the three shippers has special inserts to provide custom fitting for each product, and can hold any combination of products. The shippers equip Crown Affair with the ability to quickly adapt to new products without drastically changing the packaging system. And upon delivery, customers are treated to an elegant unboxing experience. Since January 2020, Crown Affair has amassed a devoted home hair care community rooted in daily ritual. A testament to the quality of their products, the company has been featured in beauty publications across the web, including Vogue and Allure, and recent sales are backing up their press. Crown Affair has been instrumental in transforming the direct-to-consumer landscape by listening to their customers, valuing their feedback and providing a truly personal experience, from their innovative approach to hair all the way to packaging.

Olive Oil Jones delivers fresh, geographically specific olive oils harvested from all over the Mediterranean. To keep the oil as fresh as possible before delivery, Olive Oil Jones doesn’t bottle the oil until the customer orders it. Zenpack worked with the company to develop a clever and sustainable system that not only prevents the bottles from breaking while in transit, but also saves time and money. Packaging engineers can relate: What’s the most efficient and sustainable way to ship a glass bottle using nothing but cardboard? It’s the quintessential packaging design challenge; there are even competitions for the best glass bottle box. Due to the company’s specific situation and requirements, Olive Oil Jones presented Zenpack with a unique opportunity to design compact and durable boxes for multiple bottle sizes. They needed packaging for a 4-bottle tasting set, a 1-liter bottle, a 2-liter bottle, and mailers for single-bottle 4-packs. Even though the company ships thousands of liters per month, their team is small. They would need a package that would cut down on the fulfillment process; something so simple to assemble and pack that a single person could fulfill an order in just a few minutes. The challenge became quite clear: Zenpack needed to design an ISTA-tested, folded corrugated structure that could handle multiple bottle weights and sizes while keeping the entire packaging compact, cost-effective, and easy-to-assemble. Sounds easy, right? After multiple iterations and ISTA safety tests, we developed two main corrugated features specifically designed for glass bottles filled with olive oil or vinegar. To our surprise, the ISTA tests revealed that vinegar caused the bottles to break more often than olive oil. The 1- and 2-liter packages slide into a corrugated mailer while the 4-bottle tasting set doubles as the package and mailer. Due to the design parameters and the company’s desire to avoid plastic, we focused on creating a sustainable packaging solution. The packages are constructed with only corrugated cardboard, white glue, soy-based ink, and cotton cloth handles. During the initial design phase for the 1- and 2-liter bottles, we were first inclined to secure them by the long neck and bottom, though we quickly realized the neck was the most vulnerable part of the bottle. Many iterations and tests later, we came up with a triangular structure that would secure the bottle without putting too much pressure on a specific area. The structure also has corrugated layers at the top and bottom with circular cut air pockets, just enough for slight vertical movement and even weight distribution. For the tasting set, we used the same materials with a different approach. The set provides customers an opportunity to sample a variety of olive oils and vinegar in 250 milliliter bottles. Presentation was key. To keep the labels facing upwards, we cut bottle-shaped inserts inside layers of corrugated cardboard. The neck area is cut shallow for additional support, and once the bottles are placed inside, two loose corrugated layers keep the bottles secure.

In addition to providing multiple materials and executing production for Fitbit’s high-end product package, Zenpack handled the package kitting service with more than six different materials, reducing costs and sending the product to market faster. Silicon Valley wearable technology innovator Fitbit asked Zenpack to create and produce a high-end package solution for Surge — their high-end product line. Zenpack was tasked with creating a sophisticated packaging design using a wide range of specialized materials including the paper box, acrylic cover, plastic tray, elastic hang loop, and additional accessories, all within budget. Zenpack took a holistic approach to choosing the materials: Each element had to work in harmony with the others so that the final package was secure with a uniform, premium look. By setting up the production line, Zenpack helped Fitbit with kitting all of the packaging material together under one roof. That meant when the packages were delivered, Fitbit simply had to insert the product into the ready-made packaging. In the end, this method saved everyone time and money resulting in a premium packaging solution. Given the diverse materials, the biggest challenge was creating a cohesive, high-end package. Zenpack produced a variety of samples for the client to review before determining the best option. During this process, both materials and structural strength were considered. The size of the package was important too, and the client needed to find a way to reduce kitting delivery costs as well. After several rounds of evaluation and testing with the Fitbit team, Zenpack crafted a solution that not only passed the ITSA 3A test, but also merged more than six different materials in one attractive package format. The folded rigid box with a magnetic lock displays both the beautiful pattern and critical copy that the client needed to include. Inside the box, the acrylic cover elevates the display of the smartwatch and creates a jewelry-like visual effect. The injection-molded plastic holder in the middle of the box secures the smartwatch firmly in place. To ensure the product would display well in retail, Zenpack sourced a strong and durable rope with a base that securely connects inside the box with an invisible attachment. Zenpack’s strong logistics team used software to create a cartonization and palletization system for Surge, which maximized space efficiency and resulted in shipping cost savings for the client. Zenpack harnessed local support in the daily sampling process and provided production feedback promptly to ensure on-time delivery with maximum efficiency. The final result was a high-quality consumer electronics packaging design.

Located on the heel of the boot in southern Italy, Puglia is a beautiful region known for its vast turquoise-blue coastline, untouched architecture, and vibrant arts & culture. The local economy relies on tourism, welcoming travelers from all over the world throughout the year. In collaboration with the Quabb creative agency, Zenpack created an advent calendar-style package filled with products unique to the Puglia region. After the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Puglia media department was searching for a way to reintroduce the region to the world. They needed something that would capture the aromas, flavors, and culture Puglia is known for. A dynamic media campaign can go far, but there’s nothing like experiencing a taste of what Puglia has to offer. The final 7-structure packaging, A Week in Puglia, is just a few steps away from an actual vacation to the Mediterranean coast. The packaging introduces the journey with an embedded video tablet leading the audience into the graphic scenery of the week. Each item is contained in a specially structured package with a unique unboxing experience. Simone Lacono’s abstract topographical landscapes span each surface as guests wander from one Puglia delight to the next. After initial concepts, we needed the products in hand to complete the structural design and testing. Working with the Italian government, customs agencies across the globe, Puglia tourism, and our Quabb creative partners, we coordinated the delivery to our rapid prototyping studio in California. Corrugated cardboard was the most versatile and durable material for protecting the wide range of products. Sustainable and plentiful, corrugate lends itself to inexpensive, rapid prototype packaging, and eventually, the final box structures. We engineered five structures for the advent-calendar packages, a paper-wrapped LCD tablet with charging port, and a rigid box outer structure. Creating an advent calendar structure for such large objects was challenging; we wanted to conceal the surprise while making sure each box was easy to unwrap when the day comes. A 4-sided sleeve was our best solution as it allows for crisp, vibrant printing while maintaining the weeklong, 5-senses journey theme. On the opposite side of the sleeve, we printed product stories and special instructions such as the proper olive oil tasting technique. With every layer, the structural and graphic design come together for a prolonged and satisfying unboxing experience. We tapped into our high-end packaging design services to deliver a much needed boost for the Puglia region.

Founded in 2015 in Upstate New York, Etain produces carefully formulated CBD and THC products for medical and recreational cannabis users. They offer an innovative and accessible product line—from flower and capsules to lotions and lozenges—out of their four dispensaries located throughout the state. With recreational legalization on the horizon, Etain reached out to Zenpack for new packaging to match their rebrand. The relationship bloomed into a multi-year partnership when Zenpack started sourcing secondary packaging and improving operations, helping Etain present cannabis in a new light. Zenpack analyzed the full line of products, taking note of structural design needs and sustainability goals, eventually choosing SBS paperboard as the primary material for most of the products and wrapped rigid board for the vape pens and batteries. Sturdy and durable, both materials are perfect for high-quality lithographic printing, resulting in crisp lines and colors. SBS takes just seconds to assemble and ships flat to save on transit costs. In addition to SBS packaging, we designed a custom rigid box and cardboard insert for their line of rechargeable vaporizers. To protect the glass jars and bottles inside the boxes, we needed to design interior structures that would prevent vertical movement. Simple solutions include foam or plastic pieces, but customers can’t throw these in curbside recycling; they also don’t align with the brand. SBS was the clear choice as it would allow us to extend brand colors to the inside, print in the same run as the boxes, and keep Etain’s carbon footprint to a minimum. After many prototypes, the structural engineering team created a 2-piece system. The top section secures the bottle dropper while the bottom section creates just enough space between the outer box and bottle underside to prevent breakage. Four center cuts fold down to form a plus sign, like an upside-down castle turret fortifying the bottle from exterior impact. In addition to outer packaging, Etain needed glass containers for their cannabis products. Rather than coordinating between multiple packaging providers, we combined operations to source glass bottles, droppers, caps, labels, and even metal spoons. Each container and component presented a unique challenge. The dropper caps came black, so we custom painted them with a Pantone silver. We spray painted the glass bottle with opaque white to protect contents from UV rays and match brand colors. Working with Etain to forecast their future releases and sales, we consolidated jar and bottle quantities to allow for a flexible and inexpensive lithographic label printing system. We even custom printed the metal spoons with the Etain logo. From bottle to box, a matte finish unifies the materials, reminding customers that they’ve chosen a high-quality product designed to improve their health. This attention to the detail is a crucial feature of our packaging design services. Our quality control managers maintain details like these across all packaging and operations. Every print finish, structure, and material illustrates the same precision and quality Etain puts into their cannabis formulations.

Zenpack collaborated with the world-famous Orchid creation team to produce Google’s “Be Internet Awesome” kits for schools all across the United States. The Zenpack team devoted its resources and production line to support this project and achieved the task of taking the client’s vision from 2D to 3D, plus mass production within one month. The sturdy package is strong enough to contain hefty kit elements including over 20 books per box. Additionally, Zenpack did color calibration for all the printed goods to meet the quality standards of Orchid and Google. Be Internet Awesome (BIA) is a nationwide program sponsored by Google in cooperation with the Parent-Teacher Association that teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety. Orchid requested that Zenpack create a fully customized box and inserts to hold all the published manual books, flyers, tablets, and the branded trophy. The designers only had a few graphic renderings from the agency to work with, and the kits had to be production ready in a month. Zenpack’s design team successfully created the dielines, structural engineering, and materials within a very limited timeframe. Maintaining constant communication with Orchid, the teams collaborated on the final design and brought the client’s idea to reality on schedule. Then Zenpack’s production line helped the client meet their deadline and managed the production schedule from material research to printing calibration and quality control. They ensured adequate structural integrity to secure all the accessories inside to avoid damage during shipping. At its core, Zenpack’s design was a large rigid box with three layers. The first layer contained a tablet, stylus pen, and USB drive. All 20 manual books and posters were precisely organized in the second layer, and then a cover of EVA foam laminated with printed paper secured a Google Android trophy in the bottom layer. The end result was a premium brand packaging design that helped the client achieve their goals.

Drinkworks is one of beverage tech pioneer Keurig’s latest innovations — a machine that uses the company’s proprietary pods to prepare cocktails, ciders, beers, and other alcoholic beverages. They presented Zenpack with a simple brief: Design a package that’s easy for consumers to open. Pretty straightforward, but considering that the machine itself is large and heavy, it gets more complicated. Additionally, multiple components in this package needed to be stored and organized in a secure and attractive way. When Keurig first approached Zenpack, they were on a very tight launch schedule and needed a brand new packaging concept quickly. The first challenge was engineering the outer box to make it easy to open while also securing and protecting almost 30 lbs of products. The machine and other components — like the beverage pods and CO2 cartridge — needed protection, but they also had to display well when the box was opened. Like the Drinkworks slogan claims — “All the drinks without the work!” — the unboxing experience needed to be simple and satisfying. The client wanted Zenpack to create a locking system that was both noticeable and easy to open. Adding to the design team’s challenge, they needed to create the mechanism cheaply and efficiently to stay on the client’s tight schedule. Zenpack’s design team focused considerable time and energy into designing a new locking system made with PP material. The final design easily opens by twisting counterclockwise. The two-sided lock secures the product and reduces the time and number of steps involved in unboxing the product. Most importantly, the machine is well protected by a molded pulp tray that clearly displays all the components. Protecting the product is something that our packaging design services always take into account. After Zenpack finalized the package design, Drinkworks patented the lock design for continued use with this product line. This package design also won the 2019 AmeriStar Award for Household Products from the Institute of Packaging Professionals and a 2019 IDEA Bronze Award from the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA). Above all, Zenpack helped their client succeed by effectively introducing the new look of the Drinkworks Drinkmaker Home Bar.

NVIDIA designed a new tablet that presents their premium GPU to the world. Zenpack helped them create a universal package that allows for multi-language labels and plugs to be swapped out within a one-piece construction. NVIDIA is the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU used in workstations, personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. Before they could release their new tablet, they needed a universal package design for worldwide consumers. Even though the SHIELD tablet line had slight product variations, NVIDIA wanted one package design that could be used throughout the line. When it was time to find a printing solution, Zenpack decided on double black printing on the box to enhance the quality of product image details and text. Color correction helped to accurately present NVIDIA’s trademark green. The production team then set up the NVIDIA-specific production line and equipment to ensure perfect execution of the “Sharp Edge” setup at scale. These consumer electronics packaging design details are crucial when producing in high volumes. NVIDIA needed a single premium package design to be sold in different countries. Each package required multi-language labels on the same package and a singular compact tray to hold region-specific adapters. The design team at Zenpack needed to figure out how to design one tray that could fit all of the components while still looking neat and organized. The tray holds four adapter heads, one universal adapter base, a USB cable in the bottom, and the tablet itself displayed on the top of the tray. Tablet protection was crucial. Zenpack needed to protect the screen from getting scratched without detracting from the customer’s unboxing experience. And they wanted the product displayed in style with sharp 90 degree angles, essential in preserving the brand’s premium look and feel. Based on the client requests, the Zenpack team started by creating several solutions to lay out all the adapters in a more compact way that made it easy for customers to remove them from the box. The team then invested time creating 3D models to find the best way to fit all the components in a single tray and ensure they wouldn’t move during shipping. Once the model was set, the team needed to source and test the right materials, eventually deciding on a thermoformed plastic tray. They also designed the tablet cover and stylus pen packages in the same style as the tablet package with folding cartons, resulting in a unified packaging style across the full product line. Zenpack’s packaging design services and the processes that they’ve implemented were an essential part of the client’s success. When it was time for production, Zenpack calibrated the specific production equipment for the rigid box to automate the “Sharp Edge” style and speed-up the production process. This additional step not only saved time and money, but also ensured the highest quality standards for the large volume of packages.

When online pharmacy Roman Health needed packaging to preserve customer privacy, they came to Zenpack for a comprehensive packaging strategy. Roman approached Zenpack with a specific packaging need: Sleek packaging that would securely and safely transport medications while preserving the recipient’s privacy. Roman is a digital healthcare clinic for men that offers virtual doctor visits and mail-order prescription deliveries for millions of patients. The Zenpack team had to solve for a number of challenges associated with direct-to-consumer startups and telemedicine. First, Roman was bringing a completely new brand to market, and a big part of their brand is building trust by preserving customer privacy. While privacy was a high priority, the packaging structure and materials had to support the Roman brand identity. Zenpack’s packaging had to balance a bold brand against minimal, subtle markings that wouldn’t draw attention or announce the contents. As with many projects, the initial packaging plan ended up having costs that were too high to scale. Zenpack had to find a way to create high quality packaging at a lower cost. And as a fledgling startup with a lean team, they didn’t have experience with the complicated logistics of inventory and tracking. Like many new ventures, there was uncertainty about volume. Zenpack had to create a plan for providing the right number of packages without a clear sales forecast. Zenpack’s supplement packaging design team created a strong, sleek box with a full-color wrap based on the artistic vision of a partner design agency. It fit perfectly with Roman’s contemporary aesthetic. Zenpack’s design team took it a step further and created a PET internal cover on the packaging. It helps keep the product in place, and adds to the unboxing experience, while also allowing for another opportunity to add a logo and brand copy. After experimentation and a few rounds of testing, Zenpack’s team found the perfect adhesive viscosity to make it a fully effective panel. Roman opted to bring in Zenpack’s operations experts to provide guidance on both the design side and the packaging logistics solutions side. With their combined decades of experience in high-end packaging design, they provided expert advice based on Roman’s specific needs. Due to an uncertain order forecast, Zenpack worked closely with Roman’s fulfillment team and offered various shipping options to make sure their factory got the right number of boxes at the right time. The result: fewer backorders, less lag time, and happier customers. After first launching in November 2017, Roman experienced fast growth, with revenue multiplying by 720 times in the first three quarters of 2018. Their services are making a real impact on men’s lives with over a million telemedicine interactions in the same time period. Now Roman customers experience a unified brand experience from first click to unboxing. Strong branding in every aspect of customer experience has helped propel Roman’s rapid growth. After designing and producing a premium packaging solution in a timely manner, Roman Health achieved their growth goals and secured angel investor funding.