provocative collab packaging
PIMS × Happy End
a bold, provocative visual system for a collaboration that flirts with cheekiness – packaging that lands on the table and starts a conversation
Quick summary
PIMS (playful café brand) and Happy End (a modern, provocative bar with a wink – yes, the name is kind of edgy) asked me to design the visual system and packaging for a collab: dine-in and delivery items (cups, sandwich wraps, tray paper, delivery bags).
The brief: be unmistakably PIMS × Happy End — playful, slightly provocative, but tasteful enough to appeal in mainstream press and social feeds
The brief: be unmistakably PIMS × Happy End — playful, slightly provocative, but tasteful enough to appeal in mainstream press and social feeds
Problem
Two strong, contemporary brands needed a single visual language that could be cheeky without alienating customers or failing retail/print constraints.
Packaging must work across different printing processes, sizes, and food-safety materials.
It must be provocative enough to feel honest to Happy End’s voice, but functional for delivery (no wet paper, no fragile inks).
Packaging must work across different printing processes, sizes, and food-safety materials.
It must be provocative enough to feel honest to Happy End’s voice, but functional for delivery (no wet paper, no fragile inks).
Process of how i balanced provocation and practicality
- Cultural groundingI dug into both brands’ tone and audience. Happy End is modern, confident, and provocative – they know their jokes land on the edge. PIMS supplies the playful art direction and bright color DNA. The goal: a marriage that amplifies both voices.1
- Hero motif & pattern languageI designed a hero motif where mascots (PIMS’s quirky iconography) and Happy End’s cheeky graphic elements dance around a bold, repeating pattern. The pattern is modular: loud on a bag, subtle on an inner wrap2
- winks, but doesn’t cross a lineWe replaced overwhelming side panels with a conversational flow: “Name your place,” “Choose your main photo,” “What action should customers take first?” Each step updated a live preview instantly.3
- Hero packagingThe standout piece was the sandwich box: a two-part design where the top showed a cropped woman’s chest and the bottom used upside-down PIMS mascots to complete it. Provocative, playful and the most photographed item of the collab.4
- Material & print testsI worked closely with printers on color separations, waterproofing, and tactile finishes. We opted for selective UV varnish on hero elements and matte stock for the rest so it looks premium and survives delivery.5
Outcome
- engagementThe packaging rolled out across both brands’ points and on delivery. It performed well on social — people shared photos and tagged the brands.
- awarenessSeveral local outlets wrote about the collab for its visual bravery and craft approach; it got the kind of press that doesn’t just show the product, it tells a story.
- EfficiencyOperations praised dielines and vendor-ready assets that the design did not cause production headaches, which made the rollout smooth.
- successmost importantly, customers posted photos with smiles and cheeky captions – the design started conversations, exactly as intended.
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