In a pickle for packaging

Hey guys, I am interning at a company right now designing a gift for a company that will be given to business partners, prospective clients, and other branches of the company.

The product itself is already designed and done, and the president and myself both agreed that the product looks great in red, and looks worse in blue…

the only problem is, is the company’s official color is blue. I was told to go with red.

Now, as I am designing the packaging, the president, graphics designers, etc. all want me to use more blue for the packaging to represent the company. The only problem with this is that, well… the product is red!

I am a designer that likes to turn problems into advantages, so this might create an interesting dynamic… I’m just not sure where to start. How can I design a packaging for a red product, but have to utilize blue, and not confuse the audience?

Any examples of designs that have done something similar or does anyone have any advice?

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Thank you for the help thus far.

The product is a very small one… It’s about 8" by 2" and it’s not a utility piece but more of a sculptural one. The beauty and emotion connected to it was more important than the function.

I presented several form factors and we all agree that the one attached is our favorite… with an added affordance such as a small strap for ease of pulling it open. It’s simple, unique, and there’s something pleasant about slowly revealing a product vs. just opening a flap and seeing the whole thing or just the top of it.

Let me know what you think, and any additional advice or suggestions or maybe even previous projects or examples that dealt with this issue would be great.


Interesting dilemma. Might be more helpful to show some concepts & color combos.
In any case, if the product is red and you make the box blue, then it will probably help it to make the red product stand out against the blue.
A) Maybe add a red detail to the outside of the box (maybe the pull strap) to tie it to the red product.
B) Make the inside of the box red as well. Maybe lined with a different material