Whisper Student Redesign

Design: Khushi Jain
Location: India
Project Type: Student Project
School: National Institute of Fashion Technology
Packaging Contents: Sanitary napkins/pads
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Corrugated box, paper, banana fiber sachets
Printing Process: Flexography & digital printing with soy ink

Have you noticed when we accidentally stain our bedspreads or any clothing in no particular fashion? Every spot is unique. And so is every woman.

The voids here represent those stains while the layers represent how every woman plays various roles throughout, living a layered life. When we can be proud of our existence, then why hide a completely normal phenomena? Periods are normal; it’s simple biology.

The objective of the project was to design and develop the packaging of a product for an existing brand. The product chosen here is sanitary napkins/pads from the brand Whisper to destigmatize a completely normal process.

An unbleached, corrugated cardboard box for the external packaging is a feasible solution due to all the advantages it provides. Since it is a recycled alternative, It doesn’t increase the cost by a large margin and maintains the product’s affordability. The box uses no adhesive and only follows folding for locking mechanism. The use of slide-off labels for providing the necessary and relevant information provides a longer life to the corrugated box as it can be reused after the products are used up. Soy ink is used as it is more beneficial for the environment and ourselves. The label is perforated on one side which reveals a poster related to awareness about menstruation which helps in destigmatizing the cause. Information about usage and disposal of the pad is present inside the box.

Normally, pads are wrapped in LDPE and sealed with a low strength adhesive tape which doesn’t stick back when a used napkin is wrapped in it. Production of continuous sachets is easier than producing individual pouches for packaging of each pad. A sachet with perforation for tearing off is provided with a double sided tape inside so the user can roll up the bloated pad and keep it inside the pack and seal with the adhesive. A pack with a flap over it that consisting of a stronger adhesive on the inside of the flap can be used to re-wrap the napkin.

The base colors and brand fonts have been maintained for keeping the identity intact.

What’s Unique?
Maharashtra govt has put a strict ban on the use of polythene or any plastic bags for carrying items. An initiative has been taken up by all the dairy suppliers, through which they collect the used milk packets back from the consumers and provide them a 50p discount on every packet returned. A similar initiative has been imagined with this packaging process too. There is a QR code printed inside the box which provides information about where the nearest drop point for the box is and hence the user can claim a Rs. 2-3 discount on every box returned. This instills a feeling of responsibility in the user and builds a better emotional connect with the brand and increases goodwill.