the creative world of display design at Holbox

Amy Hanssen has been working at Holbox’s creative studio for eight years now. After graduating from SintLucas in Boxtel, she spent two years at art school, but she felt it was not practical enough for her. At Holbox, she found exactly what she was looking for; designing creative and innovative displays that subsequently come to life in the factory.

Optimised design

After getting a request for a design, the first step is to sit down together to discuss how to make the design tie in with the customer’s requirements and budget to the maximum degree possible. Amy explains: ‘Here at Holbox, everything we do is customised, which just makes the work so much more fun and varied. No display is ever the same!’ Besides the design, it is also important to consider the product itself, in terms of weight and shape, for example, as well as shipping, how quick it will be to set up, and service life. ‘This means that we also focus heavily on the structural side, looking at the different materials we can use.’

Optimising the board layout is also very important, so as to be left with as little waste as possible. Creative folding skills extend beyond merely designing a good-looking display. We are always focused on designing displays in a way that is sustainable, efficient, and creative.’

The art of folding

Folding skills are a key element of Amy’s work. The term ‘folding master’ is a well coined one, as Amy uses specific folding techniques to make different creations. It results in a varied array of shapes beyond the runof-the-mill square and rectangle. Amy explains: ‘We never say, “This can’t be done.“ We try to offer a solution for any design that a customer wants, although there are, of course, certain limitations that mean that not everything is possible. Round shapes, for example, as you often see in cosmetics displays, are a major challenge because they also have to be sturdy enough to carry products.’

Needless to say, it always helps to be able to consult with a colleague in these kinds of situations. Luckily, the lines of communication at Holbox are short, and the culture here is geared towards enabling everyone to easily spar with each other. ‘Everyone has their strengths, so you find the right colleague and pick their brain about challenges you’re coming up against.’

The balance between customer requirements and creativity

Some customers know exactly what they want and provide a clear design brief right from the start. Others, however, basically give the team at Holbox free rein, saying, ‘we need this product and the display has to say this and that, the rest is up to you.’ Amy prefers the middle road. ‘That is when we as creative folding masters can join the customer’s thought process on what the display should look like, while also putting a large degree of our own creativity into our designs.’

A feat of folding mastery

When asked what display she is the most proud of, Amy takes some time to think about it. Designing a lot of displays every day, she has a great number of displays to choose from. In the end, she says that the display for Snack à Jacks is one of her favourites. This is a large, round display that retailers had to set up themselves, and round displays are always harder to set up. ‘When I saw the display in a shop one day, I was hugely impressed! The feeling that we did a great job together again.’ n