Over the summer of 2016, one of our favorite shops in Los Angeles, Formerly Yes, invited us to design three sets of wrapping paper for the holiday season. Formerly Yes is a store that emphasizes on buying less, but better. With this in mind, rather than focusing on ‘designing’ the wrapping paper, we shifted our attention to sourcing the right paper.
Design
Through our discovery process we looked at gifting as a physical act of appreciation and kindness. Receiving a carefully wrapped gift creates a holistic experience—connecting emotional and physical senses. We chose to do away with any graphic elements on the wrapping paper so the receiver can focus on the act and anticipation of opening. We included a blind debossed Formerly Yes logo which is only revealed once the gift is unwrapped, a subtle detail which adds to the thought behind the overall experience.
Together with Takeo Paper rep, Megumi-san, and Formerly Yes owners, Brad and Jenna Holdgrafer, we selected three types of high grade paper from Takeo Paper Company in Japan. Founded in 1899, Takeo Paper is an environmentally conscious paper company, offering more than 9000 kinds of paper. We were pleased to be able to use their paper for this project.
Delivered from Japan to Los Angeles, the three selected stocks of Takeo paper provided the tactile and tonal richness for their holiday and in-store wrapping experience.