Mueen StudioGame packaging · Retail display
Firefly Adventures
A children’s escape-room game box with layered EVA inserts, and a retail display for travel activity kits, taken from the first sketch to physical factory samples.
01 / One client, two projects
A packaging partnership, from structure to samples.
Firefly Adventures needed packaging for two different experiences: a multi-component escape-room game for children and a retail display for travel activity kits. Working with Valentina Campanelli, I designed both and stayed involved through sampling, so design decisions and factory decisions were made together.
Bedroom Escape Adventure
Custom magnetic game box: a rigid box with layered EVA inserts, printed panels and an inside lid that becomes part of the game.
Travel Activity Kit
Retail display packaging: an adapted display structure, branded artwork, dimensioned previews and coordination around physical samples.
02 / Game box structure
Start with what the game needs to hold.
The structure came first. Books, envelopes, locks, a timer and smaller puzzle tools all needed their own space, easy to reach during play and quick to pack away.
- Group by size and depth. Larger paper items sit apart from the small game tools.
- Allow for changing components. Lock sizes could vary, so storage was planned with room to adapt.
- Agree it before production. Drawings and 3D views were used to discuss the layout with the client.
03 / Custom EVA foam inserts
Two storage levels in one footprint.
Stacked foam layers create different cavity depths inside the same box. The upper tray holds the larger paper items, envelopes and books; the lower tray organises smaller tools and accessories of different shapes.
04 / Artwork & gameplay
Explain the adventure, then carry it inside the box.
A purple-and-cream direction connects the outside and the inside. The front introduces four features: 3 escape adventures, 3 difficulty levels, a STEM puzzle game and “create your own adventure”. Inside, the lid becomes a game tool, with Morse code and Pigpen cipher references and a prompt for the next mission.
05 / From render to physical sample
The render communicates. The sample makes it real.
A physical prototype let the client check print, opening, proportions and insert handling in one go. The footage shows the upper tray in place, lifted out, and the smaller compartments revealed underneath.
06 / Dielines & production files
Make the design clear to the production team.
The supplier handoff combined outlined AI and PDF artwork, separate inside and outside views, foam layout references, dimension and fold guides, Pantone references and 3D views of the box and inserts.
07 / Retail display
A second format for the same client.
The travel activity-kit display extended the partnership into retail. I adapted a client-supplied structural reference, applied the artwork and refined the previews around the product and the shelf: six bags of about 600 g each, on a narrower shelf footprint.
08 / Vendor & sample coordination
Keep the design and the factory connected.
My role continued past the artwork. I helped the client choose a vendor, reviewed sample and shipping quotes, introduced the factory contact and supplied the production files, then reviewed the samples for fit and dimensions.
- Vendor supportReview supplier options and a practical sample route.
- Quotation reviewRelay sample costs, shipping estimates and lead times.
- Production handoffSend outlined PDFs and 3D box and insert references.
- Sample follow-upReview fit, dimensions and the factory’s structural questions.
After the prototype review
- Box proportions: reduce width and height, keep the depth.
- Insert build: explore thinner foam and a simpler arrangement.
- Component fit: add general storage and revisit the notebook cavity.
- Gameplay: complete the cipher reference.
Result
“Since the beginning you could tell he understand things quickly, he is very professional and trustworthy. I would ask him to work again on other projects!!”
Related services: Structural packaging & dielines · Cartons, mailers & display boxes · Rigid & magnetic boxes
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