Brief: STR8, an international men’s care brand with a target group of 18-35 y.o., partnered with the NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo to release a special edition line. We were asked to assist with the packaging design.

Challenge: Attribute Giannis’s distinct character and values without being lost in the clutter of dozens of brands that try to leverage the young superstar’s momentum by including him in their packages and/or campaigns.

Approach: Our first step was to establish an organic connection between the two brands, G.A. and STR8, so his presence on the packaging can be justified and ownable instead of one more marketing endorsement. To achieve this, we focused on the nickname he became famous with, “Freak.” A raw characterisation, usually used in an offending way, was a perfect metaphor for a message that the STR8 brand has been vocalising for years:

“Whatever they say, you are unique. And it takes uniqueness to achieve the extraordinary.”

We recognized a genuine chance to convey a message of acceptance, inclusivity, and defiant street culture in a distinctive and edgy way.
Edgy as the punk graffitis scratched on locker-room walls or stick-and-poke self-made tattoos, the illustrations seem like they defy the packaging itself by vandalising it. By suggesting that every element is scratched on the paint, we sent out a first message against the properness of stereotypes. Every illustration is weird and full of imperfections, just as the name implies. This way, we celebrate the unique nature of each person instead of encouraging a draining image of perfection that rarely exists in real life.

Last but not least, to enhance Giannis’s presence, we placed “34” -the number of his shirt- as the centrepiece of the composition, but we also implemented it in the SKU name using numbers as letters (just as the mother brand STR8), blending the two iconic brands even further: STR8-FR34K