DINP Birdseed mix and Birdhouse

Sustainable and meaningful merchandise is something that organizations and designers should be aware of. As part of a rebranding project for Duna-Ipoly National Park, Hungary I wanted to create a birdhouse and birdseed that is practical, easy to take home, lacks plastic use, and is strongly connected to nature and wildlife.

We are getting bored of tote bags, water bottles, pins and T-shirts. Even when they are claimed to be sustainable the reality of production and resource use are proving otherwise. Does a national park need merchandise at all? And if so, what kind of message does the Duna-Ipoly National Park want to transmit?

‘Take nature home!’ was the main slogan of the birdhouse project. Feeding birds in the winter, and providing a safe nesting place, while also following and understanding the life of birds living around us is clearly a nice opportunity to learn about nature, for every generation.

The birdhouse is made of laser-printed wooden parts, additional materials are not needed for assembling. This technique made it possible to print additional elements on the birdhouse such as the blue wave symbolizing the Danube and the logo. The shape of the house made it possible to accommodate two packages of birdseed when purchasing.

There are three different birdseed available – all year, winter, and wild bird feed. It was aimed to create a playful – bird-like box for the feed, where the different types are easily recognizable and distinguishable. Brand colors and the color of the recycled cartoon create a natural and harmonic color palette. As the main color of the national park is dark blue, it played a huge role in the packaging as well.

If the season is over, the birdhouse can be easily disassembled and stored until next year, when a new family of birds can start their lives in it.