Ismax paper products, brand strategy and design
Ismax is a Catalan company that has been dedicated to producing fully recycled paper since the mid 1980s – long before zero-waste and sustainability was ‘a thing’ in Spain. Its products are with a purpose. And that’s why this project was so special for us.
We were asked to create a brand strategy and design for the Ismax Natural line of hygiene paper products – kitchen paper, facial tissues, toilet rolls and so on – that are recycled, unbleached, eco-friendly and very good quality.
“Our dream:
a zero-waste world”
Being green,
being cool
How did we do it? So we went for a natural design and created a brand that’s bold, confident, unapologetically unbleached and proud to be 100% recycled.
We turned the products into a fun, friendly ‘family’ of characters that makes customers smile – and makes them feel good about buying the brand and saving the planet at the same time.
Is it magic?
Unravelling the roll:
The importance of data
We kicked off the project with in-depth market research to find out about customers’ pain points, motivations and behaviour when they’re buying hygiene paper products.
We interviewed store staff about how customers shopped, and asked them how they display products, why they display them in this way, and how it differs from store to store.
“Some consumers don’t know that Ismax are recycled products”
We analysed the competition – their products, branding and communication – and we interviewed internal stakeholders about their values, goals and objectives.
And finally we conducted a branding workshop which resulted in a clear vision and mission for Ismax. The brand would commit to differentiating itself through sustainability, would focus on eco-conscious consumers, and would clearly communicate the Ismax Natural ‘world’ through all its packaging.
“We’re honest and authentic. But also cute and cool”
Meet Ismax, the naturally adorable family
While we interviewing and workshopping, something began to emerge. We had always wanted to represent the voice of the people who make the product, and the things these people were saying during these interviews often came in the form of interesting, funny one-liners.
Out of this, an idea was born: a family of talking paper products. The family would be loud and friendly. Each product would have a character of its own, and their quotes would become the copy printed on the packaging.
We also gave our mischievous characters the chance to star in film. We created three brand movies introducing the products to the market and each responding to a customer pain point: absorbance, softness and recycling.
How not
to love it?
The smart
ones absorb a lot
So the Ismax
family was brought to life with something to say
...and with a mission to clean things up, whether it’s your kitchen spills, your tears, your face (or other bits). And the family owes its existence, as so often in our projects, to the marrying of research data with creativity.
