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Packaging & Merchandising Design | Final Project: The Merch Drop

01/12/25 - 11/1/25 [ Week 11 - Week 14 ]

Nicco Chew Jin Xun (0366563)

Packaging & Merchandising Design | Bachelor of Design (Hons) In Creative Media | Taylor's University

Tutor: Mr. Shamsul

Table of contents

Instructions

Project 2 / Process Work

Project Overview

For this final project, it focuses on translating an established brand and packaging identity from Project 2 into a real-world retail experience. The objective is to design a cohesive merch drop collection that feels like a natural extension of the brand while appealing directly to the target audience in a commercial context.

The final outcome consists of 5 distinct merchandise items, including a Point-of-Purchase (POP) display and four original branded products. Beyond aesthetics, this project emphasizes strategic thinking—considering how branding, merchandising, and promotion work together to create a compelling retail presence. The collection will ultimately be pitched to the class as a complete and market-ready concept.

The 5 Required Items

The collection must include the following:
One (1) POP (Point-of-Purchase) Display:
A freestanding or countertop display designed to hold or showcase your product in a retail environment.
Four (4) Merchandise Items: 
Original branded goods (e.g., apparel, tote bags, tumblers, limited edition collectibles, stationery) that specifically appeal to your target audience.
Project Workflow & Deliverables

Phase 1: Research & Concepts
  • Analyze your Project 2 brand values and packaging aesthetics.
  • Develop 5 concepts that feel like a natural extension of the brand.
  • Goal: Ensure the items are things your target audience would actually buy.
Phase 2: Design & Mock-ups
  • Design the graphics and structural elements for all 5 items.
  • Create high-quality digital mock-ups. These should be realistic renders that look like professional product photography.
  • Ensure strict visual consistency (color palette, typography) with your Project 2 packaging.
Phase 3: Strategy & Presentation
  • Promotional Strategy: Outline specific channels (Social Media, Influencers, Events) and tactics you will use to launch the merchandise.
  • The Pitch: Prepare a slide deck presentation to "sell" your ideas. You will present your designs and strategy in Week 4.
Submission:
Blog Link + Recorded Group Presentation (15 minutes)

Group Members:
1. Kimberly Miaw Jya Nee (Leader)
2. Mah Sze Min
3. Aw Wen Chia
4. Nicco Chew Jin Xun 
5. Muthiah Salsabila Harsono

Process Work

In our Project 2, we did a skincare set which consisted of toner, serum and moisturiser. During our team meeting, we discussed potential merchandise items that would best align with our brand identity, Smile Surprise. Our focus was on selecting items that not only reflect the brand’s playful and comforting personality but are also practical and appealing to our target audience. After evaluating several options, we finalized four merchandise items that strongly connect with the Smile Surprise brand.

4 Merchandise Items:
1. Makeup / Toiletries Pouch
2. Keychain Plushies
3. Totebag
4. Scrunchie Hair Tie
5. Stickers
6. Skincare Samples

Digital Presence:
1. Instagram Grid
2. Tiktok Grid

Environmental Graphics:
1. POP Display Stand
2. Pop-up Booth

Theme:
Picnic-at-the-Garden

Following our discussion and finalization of the merchandise and environmental graphics, we moved directly into visual research. We explored a variety of references on Pinterest and putting them into our group Pinterest board to gather ideas and inspiration related to merchandise design, material choices, color palettes, and display styling.

Fig. 1 - Moodboard & Inspiration

After confirming all the merchandise items, each of us developed and presented our own ideas and initial sketches. We discussed the strengths of each concept, focusing on factors such as brand consistency, practicality, and visual appeal. We then conducted a group voting process to select the ideas that resonated most with everyone.

Fig. 2 - Sketches

Makeup & Toitletries Pouch

The makeup pouch is designed to provide users with a practical storage solution for organizing and carrying their skincare products. By offering a dedicated pouch, we aim to encourage users to keep their products together while reinforcing the brand’s presence in their daily routines. This aligns with Smile Surprise’s goal of creating small, thoughtful moments of care and positivity. The makeup pouch uses floral patterns to symbolize self-care and gentle moments, aligning with Smile Surprise’s soft and uplifting brand aesthetic.

Fig. 3 - Makeup Pouch

Plush Keychain & Box Packaging

We discussed different material options for the keychains and decided on plush keychains with a blind box concept. Each of us created a sketch based on the picnic theme.

Fig. 4 - Plushie Sketches

🌼 Dazy (Daisy) - Kim
Dazy is a cheerful little daisy who loves sunny picnics and simple moments. She represents joy, kindness, and self-care, reminding everyone that even the smallest surprise can brighten someone’s day.

🔔 Shybell (Bell Flower) - Sze Min
Shybell is the gentle heart of Smile Surprise. She is soft-spoken, thoughtful, and quietly warm. Like a bell flower, she blooms in calm moments and shows care through small, meaningful gestures. Though shy at first, she has a playful sweetness that brings comfort to others.

🌸 Peomy (Peony) - Wen Chia
Peomy is kind and confident, representing the femininity of Smile Surprise. With a brave and resilient heart, she spreads warmth and care wherever she goes. Inspired by the peony flower, she symbolises romance, affection, and sweet beginnings.

❤️ Sweetheart (Heart) - Muthiah
Sweetheart is the lovergirl of Smile Surprise. She is warm, carefree, and deeply caring. With a big heart for her friends, she makes sure everyone feels included. Love and happiness grow wherever Sweetheart goes.

🧺 Baskie (Picnic Basket) - Nicco
Baskie is the one who holds everyone together. Like a picnic basket filled with small surprises, she carries kindness, care, and shared moments. She believes joy is best when it’s shared.

After everyone finished their sketches, I helped generate the plushie mockups using Google's Gemini. For the plushie keychain merchandise, I explored the use of AI-generated visuals as part of the ideation process. I experimented multiple times using Gemini AI to generate different plushie concepts based on our Smile Surprise brand characters.

Fig. 5 - Explore and try out different prompts in Gemini AI

Through this process, I realized that prompt writing plays a critical role in achieving accurate and usable results. It was important to describe each plushie in a very precise and detailed manner, including its shape, facial expression, proportions, and overall mood. I also had to continuously refine the prompts by removing unnecessary elements and adjusting specific details such as the background, the plushie’s hands and feet, color choices, and the overall arrangement of the characters.

Fig. 6 - Explore and try out different prompts in Gemini AI 

Fig. 6 - Final Plushie Keychain Mockup (Generated using Gemini AI) (by Me)

These plushie keychains feature five adorable characters with their own personality and story.


Fig. 6 - Final Plushie Keychain Mockup (Generated using Gemini AI) (by Me)


For the plush keychain box packaging, we chose a simple square box mockup.

Fig. 7 - Chosen Box Mockup for Plush Keychain Packaging

Kimberly is in charge of designing the blind box. Our plushie keychain packaging is inspired by the Zus Buddies Collectible Plush Keychain, presented in a blind-box style with the Picnic-at-the-Garden theme. This design creates a joyful unboxing experience, with each box showing the five character illustrations on the side. Each character represents a different expression of care, love, and emotional comfort, making it a meaningful surprise for the receiver.

Fig. 8 - Plush Keychain Blindbox Design (by Kimberly)


Totebag

The tote bag is minimalist, using soft, muted pink tones to evoke warmth, calm, and femininity. Its clean and functional design reflects Smile Surprise’s gentle, carefree aesthetic, creating a practical yet stylish everyday accessory for our audience.


Fig. 9 - Totebag (by Muthiah)


Scrunchie Hair Tie

We also designed scrunchies with soft floral patterns across three colour variations. These scrunchies strike a balance between versatility and charm, reflecting themes of individuality, softness, and self-care, while remaining wearable and playful for everyday styling.


Fig. 10 - Scrunchie Hair Tie (by Kimberly)


Stickers

Our stickers carry the brand’s messaging simply and playfully. The set includes the Smile Surprise logo, the phrase “Pick one. Gift one. Smile.”, and “Beauty-on-the-go” with floral accents. Together, they extend the Smile Surprise experience beyond products, encouraging joy, sharing, and everyday positivity


Fig. 11 - Stickers (by Sze Min)


POP Display Stand

For the POP display stand and pop-up booth, we focused on creating an environment that would immediately capture attention in a retail or event setting. During the design exploration, we experimented with gradient backgrounds as a key visual element.

We chose gradients because they are visually eye-catching and help create a sense of depth and softness, which aligns well with the Smile Surprise brand identity. The smooth color transitions not only make the display stand out from a distance but also create a more inviting and approachable atmosphere. We believe this visual approach helps us better connect with our target audience, especially younger consumers who are drawn to playful yet polished aesthetics.

We have chosen this POP Display Stand mockup from Mockups-Design.com

Fig. 12 - Chosen POP Display Stand Mockup

Kimberly did a rough sketch of the POP display stand to visualize the idea and handed in the next part to me for doing the mockup in Photoshop.


Fig. 13 - POP Display Stand Sketch (by Kimberly)

Fig. 14 - POP Display Stand Mockup (by Me)

Kimberly also did the rough sketch for our booth which matches the theme of our POP display stand. 
Fig. 15 - Booth Design Sketch (by Kimberly)

Fig. 16 - Booth Design Mockup (by Me)


Promotional Strategy

Sze Min did the outline for our promotional strategy, which is a campus pop-up booth concept.

Fig. 17 - Instagram Grid (by Kimberly)

Fig. 18 - TikTok Grid (by Sze Min)

Fig. 19 - Booth Mockup (by Sze Min)

Fig. 20 - Free Skincare Samples (by Sze Min)



Final Outcome Compilation

Google Drive Folder: 

Fig. 21 - Mockup Compilation (PDF)


Fig. 22 - Recorded Final Presentation

Feedback

Week 10 (24/11/25)

General Feedback:
Final project briefing in class. This week, I mainly continued to finalise Project 2 for submission.

Specific Feedback:
N/A

Week 11 (1/12/25)

General Feedback:
[Online Consultation]

Specific Feedback:
N/A

Week 12 (8/12/25)

General Feedback:
[Online Consultation]

Specific Feedback:
N/A

Week 13 (15/12/25)

General Feedback:
[Online Consultation via Teams] We showed our progress on our main theme for the merch drop, plushie keychain blindbox concept, scrunchie hair tie, makeup pouch and also our finalised promotional strategy.

Specific Feedback:
N/A

Week 14 (22/12/25)

General Feedback:
N/A
Specific Feedback:
N/A

Week 15 (11/01/25)

General Feedback:
[Submission Week]
Specific Feedback:
N/A

Reflection

This  project allowed me to explore how a brand can be extended beyond packaging into physical merchandise and retail environments. By translating the Smile Surprise skincare brand into a cohesive merch drop, I gained a deeper understanding of how branding, functionality, and emotional connection work together in real-world design contexts.

Throughout the project, collaboration played a key role. Our team discussions, idea sharing, and voting process ensured that every design decision was considered collectively. This helped refine our direction and strengthened the consistency of the final outcomes. Working as a group also highlighted the importance of communication and openness to feedback in achieving a shared vision.

One of the most valuable learning experiences was experimenting with AI tools during the plushie keychain design process. Through multiple iterations, I learned that effective prompt writing requires precision, patience, and critical thinking. Adjusting details such as form, color, proportions, and arrangement reinforced the idea that AI is not a shortcut, but a tool that supports creativity when guided intentionally.

Overall, this project strengthened my ability to design with purpose—balancing aesthetics, usability, branding, and strategy. It also improved my confidence in documenting my design process and reflecting on both successes and challenges. The experience has given me valuable insight into how thoughtful merchandising can enhance brand storytelling and user connection.
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