Starbucks - Advent Calendar
Strategy & Ideation | Product Rendering | Production Work | Art Direction
Context
Starbucks sought to create a new holiday advent calendar that would be both a standout retail product and a decorative holiday staple. The challenge was to:
Design an advent calendar reminiscent of a tree while staying true to the Starbucks brand.
Ensure high-quality execution, from concept to final production, balancing aesthetic appeal with functionality.
Develop a product that felt interactive, festive, and collectible, driving excitement within the holiday merchandise program.
This wasn’t just a design exercise—it required hands-on production oversight, including dielines, material selection, and meticulous proofing.
Action
I led the strategic and creative development, ensuring brand alignment and production feasibility:
Explored brand guidelines and holiday vision, developing multiple concepts ranging from abstract to literal interpretations of a tree.
Designed a countdown calendar featuring 25 treat-filled metallic ornaments, housed in a paperboard tree silhouette for a sleek, festive presentation.
Managed all production elements, including dielines, sampling, material selection, and final proofing to achieve the highest-quality execution.
Result
The final product was a visually striking, interactive holiday piece that resonated with Starbucks customers:
Successfully introduced a new advent format, blending functionality and festive decor in a collectible, reusable form.
Elevated Starbucks’ holiday retail lineup, reinforcing the brand’s reputation for creative, premium seasonal merchandise.
Drove customer engagement, with ornaments designed to be displayed on home trees or kept as part of the set.
