A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Pure Boutique's Sunshine Box Packaging Design
As soon as I received the brief for this project — a gift box inspired by sunshine — I immediately had a vision. Pure Boutique — a fashion, home, and lifestyle shop in Downtown Burlington, Ontario that instantly becomes your happy place as soon as you step inside — came to me because they wanted to create something special to spread some sunshine: a fully customizable gift box designed to brighten your (or someone in your life’s) day. So right away, we got to work on a packaging concept!
While the overall theme was sunshine, I didn’t want the design to be too “on the nose.” Their boutique has a timeless feel with branding and displays that lean into pastels, so their packaging had to feel cohesive with the interior of their shop and their visuals! That’s when I turned to spring flowers that symbolize sunshine to channel their softer, more whimsical style for the design. I ended up landing on daisies — after all, it was Drew Barrymore who said “daisies are like sunshine to the ground.”
I love looking at the meanings of different flowers, and I’ve always associated daisies with springtime and the sun with their yellow center and petals radiating outward just like the sun’s rays. Once we had our idea down, I was ready to begin!
The Postcard
When we decided that daisies were our way forward, I was inspired to create the postcard first. I believe that a handwritten note is such a powerful way to brighten someone’s day and spread joy, so we knew we wanted to include a card that people could customize with their own message if they’re giving it as a gift or keep it for themselves as a sweet little reminder!
All of my projects stem from hand-painted designs, so to channel the look and feel of a bright blue sky, I created a gingham pattern with my watercolours for the background. I then added an oval design with a delicate scalloped edge for a whimsical feel and decorated it with hand-painted daisies. We added a quote in the center — “you make the world brighter just by being you” — which is such a beautiful reminder for anyone who receives it.
I printed these cards in-house on FSC-certified, 100% post consumer waste paper with a luxurious texture and weighted feel. For an extra special detail, I created a scalloped edge that I think turned out absolutely adorable! The card reminds me of a picnic in midsummer, which is exactly the feeling we were going for.
The Box
Once I finalized the design of the card, I began brainstorming concepts for the box. This part was a little bit trickier because I wanted it to feel cohesive with the postcard without them being too matchy-matchy. But once I came across the pantone shade “Lemon Icing,” the rest of the design was history! This shade of yellow went perfectly with some of Pure Boutique’s other branding colours and was a perfect fit with their shop decor with its more muted, spring-inspired tone.
I isolated some of the daisies I painted for the card and created a fun pattern from them for the box: I wanted them to feel like they were floating through the air to make the design feel super playful! With the addition of Pure Boutique’s logo and signature “hello sunshine” written on the front of the box, the design was complete.
I’m so excited to share that the Sunshine Box is officially available at Pure Boutique online here and in-store at their Brant Street location along with a beautifully-curated selection of sunshine-inspired items that you are welcome to fill your box with. You can also choose anything in the store to put inside, making them wonderful for hostess gifts, birthday gifts, little “thinking of you’s,” and more!
I’m so happy with how this project turned out and it’s by far one of my favourites I’ve worked on. It took me out of my comfort zone in the best way and I think this project is the epitome of “happy mail,” so I hope you love it as much as I do!
