Challenge

Pier 1 Imports, a beloved international home décor retailer, needed a strategic approach to packaging that balanced aesthetics, functionality, and cost-efficiency. With all packaging designed in-house, the brand faced several key challenges:

• Protecting fragile products from breakage during shipping and in-store handling.

• Reducing import costs by minimizing wasted space in packaging.

• Ensuring clear, engaging communication of product benefits in a bilingual (English/French Canadian) format.

• Preventing theft through smart packaging design.

• Creating adaptable, easy-to-use templates for production teams and vendors.

• Maintaining seasonal trends while reinforcing the brand’s premium perception.

• Achieving quarterly sales and new customer acquisition goals through strategic product and packaging design.

Objective

Develop a packaging system that seamlessly aligns with Pier 1’s evolving product lines while optimizing efficiency and brand consistency. This included:

• Designing seasonal and collection-based style guides for internal teams and overseas vendors.

• Standardizing dielines, templates, and production guidelines for multiple SKUs.

• Enhancing visual storytelling through photography, copy, and material selection.

• Improving communication between buyers, designers, and vendors to streamline production.

Solution

To keep Pier 1’s packaging innovative and impactful, I worked closely with cross-functional teams to execute a multi-layered approach:

• Trend-Driven Design: As a member of the Christmas Committee, I collaborated with buyers, VPs, and visual merchandisers to define seasonal trends a year in advance. Attended surface art shows to source artwork and develop custom illustrations, reducing licensing costs and ensuring unique designs.

• Production-Ready Standards: Created detailed style guides that provided:

  • Color palettes, specialty printing techniques (foil, spot varnish), and cost-effective alternatives.

  • Material sourcing instructions (e.g., jute rope for tags, 0.5-inch red grosgrain ribbon for holiday packaging).

  • Standardized templates for tags, boxes, header cards, labels, and price placement.

  • Placement guides for dielines, typography, and visual elements.

  • Vendor-friendly instructions with clear visuals for global consistency.

• Seamless Collaboration: Partnered with buyers, visual merchandisers, and writers to align product storytelling with packaging. Worked with photographers, set designers, and food stylists to capture high-quality product imagery.

• Quality Assurance & Vendor Coordination: Collaborated with international vendors and printers to test new dielines and ensure print accuracy. Reviewed pre-production samples before full-scale rollout.

Results

• Improved packaging efficiency, reducing shrinkage and shipping costs.

• Strengthened brand perception with cohesive, trend-forward seasonal collections.

• Streamlined production for internal teams and vendors, saving time and resources.

• Elevated the customer experience by making packaging more engaging and informative.

In packaging, every detail is purposeful and planned.