Crayola - Three original concepts. One iconic brand.
A first of its kind.
UI/UX
Notion
Role
Graphic Design Intern
Industry
Consumer Products, Manufacturing
Deliverables
Card Design, Packaging, Illustration
Tools
Illustrator · Photoshop
With no brief and no precedent to follow, the process became the brief. Sketching, researching, exploring, and iterating, each step narrowing down the directions until three distinct concepts were ready for production
Era 1
Meta
Initial Sketches
The process always starts with paper. I sketched out every idea that came to mind, different card layouts, different ways to use the Crayola brand, different visual directions. Some of them went nowhere. A few of them became something
Era 2
Meta
Exploration & Feedback
The strongest directions were developed and reviewed. Each concept came back with annotations, what was working, what needed to change, and where to push further.
Era 3
Meta
From History to Design
The Heritage Edition started with research into Crayola's original 1903 packaging. Sketched by hand first, then rebuilt in Illustrator, every ornate detail referenced from the source.
Era 3
Meta
Three Concepts, Refined
Getting to the final three concepts took several rounds of back and forth. Multiple versions of each direction were explored, reviewed, and refined until every detail was right. By the end all three concepts were approved and finalized for production.
This one started with a piece of history. I found Crayola's original 1903 packaging and pulled one ornate design element from it, then hand drew everything around it to match that same vintage style. The colors came straight from the historical reference. What came out of it was the most unique concept of the three, a design that captured 120 years of Crayola history in a single card.
This concept was about capturing the fun side of Crayola without making it feel like a children's product. Crayons scattered across the card, the organic squiggly lines they naturally leave behind, all on a dark background that gave the colors room to pop (a good contrast in designer's language). It leaned into Crayola's retro identity, colorful and energetic.
The Crayon Box concept was built around a familiar feeling. By recreating Crayola's iconic packaging on the card, the act of pulling a card from the deck felt like pulling a crayon from the box. Something people had done hundreds of times, translated into something completely new
