Service | Digitprop - Paper design

I am taking on freelance jobs and commissions for paper designs. This includes:

Custom paper toys
Mechanical models
Pop-up books and pop-up cards
Scientific models
Giveaways for trade shows
Package design

With a strong background in biotechnology and software development, I like to work on projects that revolve around science and technology. I can cover the whole design and production cycle, including die cutting and printing. I have comprehensive expertise on printing and post-processing technology. I can work very autonomously, proposing working solutions, but I am also happy to interface very closely with you, your technical staff and your advertising agency.

If you want to discuss a custom project, I’d be happy to hear from you via the contact form.

Here is a portfolio of past projects. For more on my portfolio, please visit my Behance and LinkedIn sites.

Packaging for DNA

In biotechnology, DNA samples are often shipped in small plastic tubes. The goal of this project was to create a robust, cost-effective packaging around these tubes that reflects the company’s corporate design. In fact, there were two CDs to consider, because this was for two different brandings.

The packaging consists of a square box about 8 x 8 cm in size, with a bespoke “clasp” design on the inside. The “clasp” represents the logo in one case, and an origami bear (part of the corporate design) in the other.

Inside the boxes, there is a black styrofoam inlay which holds up to three small boxes, each containing a single tube. The intention was to create an association with jewelry packaging, conveying the value and sophistication of the product.

The package was intended for international shipping, and one goal was to make it very resistant to pressure and tearing. The two nested boxes and the styrofoam inlay make the box very stable. You can actually step on it, without breaking the plastic tubes inside. The box is assembled very quickly without glue.

Pop-up Book on Vaccination

This pop-up book explains on nine pages basic concepts of vaccination, including the spread and eradication of infectious diseases, how the immune system works or what the future of vaccination will be.

The goal was to create an informative, fun book that doesn’t overwhelm but at the same time go into enough detail to explain core principles of vaccination.

In addition, I experimented with 3-dimensional diagrams, including bar charts and pie charts.

You can read more on this project here.

Chocolate packaging: Sheep box

This was a custom project for the design of a box for chocolate in the shape of a sheep. The goal was a box that would assemble without glue and that would be sturdy enough to safely hold a selection of chocolate sweets.

As you can see, the customer and I went through several iterations, in order to pinpoint the customer’s vision.

Rocket

This rocket was created as a giveaway for a trade show. It consists of five parts that interconnect without glue, for rapid assembly. Most customers actually requested unassembled sets, so that they could build them on their own.

Phage model

This is a little model of a phage M13, as it is used in the phage display technique popular in biotechnology. This was used on trade shows to promote a phage display service.

Protein and Plasmid

This pair of an anthropomorphized protein and plasmid has been designed for the introduction of new custom biotech services. They were used in mailings and supplements of shipments to customers.

Solar system

This is a set of all eight planets, plus Pluto and the sun, where each planet represents a different slightly antromorphized character. For instance, Mars is grumpy, and Saturn uses its ring as a hoola hoop. More on the solar system can be found here.

Origami Animals

This was part of the corporate design of a client. A set of origami animals was adapted into easy to fold, pre-cut templates. This is of course not actually origami, but the resulting animals had the same look as the origami originals. They were used at trade shows and were a favorite of the audience. People loved that they could fold up the animals on their own, and many asked to take two or more for their kids. Read more here.

Stegosaurus calendar

This calendar is in the shape of a stegosaurus, with the blades being the tabs of weekly or monthly cards. You can take out each card by its colored tab. Custom calendars with your corporate identity are a perfect giveaway, as they tend to stay for a long time on the desks of your customers. Read more here.