Analogy Design – Diwali Amazon Gift Card

Diwali is a festival where exchanging gifts is an age old tradition. Amazon India approached us to create a new unboxing experience for the Amazon gift card. We wanted to create a packaging design which had a clear connection to the spirit of Diwali as a festival not just from a graphical perspective but a complete experience.A gift card is seen as a quick, easy way to present a gift. Its usually tucked into a paper sleeve and handed over. The intent of gifting is far more important than what the gift exactly is, in any tradition. The main problem we were solving for was to elevate the image of the simple gift card into a premium, well intended user experience. There are many cultural and social issues for people who are presenting gift cards as they are seen as gifts that are small and a quick fix. The perception is that there was no effort in choosing a gift and that the gift is a tangible object.Throughout history, we have always relied on visual cues and patterns to identify and also associate with tradition. We figured this would be the best place to start and create a modern contemporary version of a traditional pattern used in Diwali.The entire packaging starts with connecting the dots and relating to what is the essence of Diwali, including the choice of colours ( Which is considered auspicious), understanding the elements and creating where these should be positioned, including the Haldi, Kumkum and Akshat which are offered separately and a Diya, which is what Diwali is all about ( festival of lights) in a compact premium packaging designed to be produced at scale without compromising the user experience. Everything including creating a contemporary version of the traditional side of graphics without adding a religious angle to it was key in terms of branding and graphic design. We also created a layered experience of unwrapping the gift where the various elements were displayed creating an aha moment of surprise when it was opened and then that led to the gift card of course. Keeping the back part open with a transparent window in order to scan the bar codes logistically was designed to fit in seamlessly without taking away from the main brief.