A benefit of the early pandemic days was having the time to focus on my team's entry to the PPA Student Design Challenge in 2020, leading to our first place win, making history as both the first finalist and champions of this competition in both Toronto MetU and Canadian history.

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) is a joint initiative of the American Forest & Paper Association and the Paperboard Packaging Council. Their student design challenge for 2020 was to create an educational package for Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees (TICCIT), an outreach and educational program. The package was aimed at elementary school aged children, with educational content on the sustainability of paper and paperboard packaging, and to distribute the organization's paperboard tree planter.

With my focus on concept and structural design and my partner Laura’s strengths in graphic communications and marketing, we created this ready-to-ship toolkit. We approached this challenge with the intention to create something that initiates a positive learning experience for the educators receiving this product. We aimed for an intuitive design which was easy to navigate and exciting to unbox. Rather than focusing only on the visual aspects of the TICCIT packaging, we took a holistic approach and considered structural integrity, graphic manufacturing, user experience, effectiveness of communications, and sustainability using the breadths of technical expertise we learned in our major.

“What impressed me the most as a Packaging Professional was their tenacity and collaborative spirit. Working as a team, in many cases across time zones AND with limited tools, Dorotea and Laura created an impressive hexagonal carton that communicated a sustainability message that was both engaging and fun.”

 - Sr. Director of Design, Food and Beverage Americas at WestRock


The entire package just missing the shipping label which would wrap over with existing slide lock to keep it secured. Given a second chance I would add a recess in the main compartment so that the edges of the pages would be better protected in shipment. This was the first proper prototype we were able to make due to the pandemic, here you can see how we continued the brand throughout the pack and how the triangle boxes work, with the glue-less form function on the outside definitely encouraging the curiosity to take it apart and put it together again.
This is a render showing the booklet and how the pieces fit together in their compartment. <br> <br> Due to the pandemic limiting resources, I had to teach myself how to visually render our design. Using TinkerCAD and Adobe Dimension, I think I did pretty well. This is a render showing the last page of the booklet intended to make learning about the sustainability of paperboard fun, the second spread details what is in the main compartment (the three packaged paper games and the two tree planters) as well as a QR code to more resources. <br> <br> Due to the pandemic limiting resources, I had to teach myself how to visually render our design. Using TinkerCAD and Adobe Dimension, I think I did pretty well. This is a render showing one of the games we included, this one is a puzzle about the paper life cycle and when completed right makes an image. These games were designed to be easily duplicated with a photocopier. <br> <br> Due to the pandemic limiting resources, I had to teach myself how to visually render our design. Using TinkerCAD and Adobe Dimension, I think I did pretty well.
This is a render showing the whole pack, teasing the main compartment and what could be within the pages before. We used the organization's logo as the form to emphasize the brand connection, turning the stem that comes out the bottom of the hexagon into a visual on the side edge, connecting to the logo on the backside just as well. <br> <br> Due to the pandemic limiting resources, I had to teach myself how to visually render our design. Using TinkerCAD and Adobe Dimension, I think I did pretty well. This is a render showing another game we included, sorting objects to the right disposal method. If made with my current skill set, I would render each of the pieces with their unique die-cut instead of the simplified circles I used then. <br> <br> Due to the pandemic limiting resources, I had to teach myself how to visually render our design. Using TinkerCAD and Adobe Dimension, I think I did pretty well.

TICCIT Education Crate - 1st Place PPA SDC

2020

Following the accordion booklet of information, acting as a lid for this pack, is the main compartment. Designed to feel like a treasure crate shaped in the brand’s logo, containing three smaller glue-less triangular boxes, an assembled sapling carton, and an additional unassembled sampling carton. Within the triangular boxes we provided three unique and interactive activities that keep 8-11 year old students learning and having fun.

Our design included single sided printing to optimise production time and costs, glue-less structures to enhance sustainability, entirely paperboard (including the games within which are easy to scan and duplicate for the classroom) and ready to ship, using shipping labels to bind and secure.

Experience Design - 3D & IRL Prototyping


After completing my studies, I joined a local journalism startup as their “Packaging Extraordinaire”, taking on a multifaceted role that went beyond conventional design. My responsibilities included designing and producing physical components for a virtual storytelling event, offering UX guidance for enhanced accessibility to ensuring seamless integration of the technology in new storytelling experience.

I was really excited to adapt the stories and virtual space elements into a physical form, adding to the adventure with reveals and tactile experiences. I started with rough prototypes using scrap paper. One of the features of the first version was a pull-out drive-in theatre that connects into a postcard landscape, turning the TV-pop up into a little sculpture. This was included for the trial event, which I made 30 copies for, printed using funds from a grant I was rewarded earlier that year and all cut by hand after a failed attempt to work with a local business which provided incorrect dimensions rendering our printed product unworkable by their machines.

For the main event, we streamlined the design while introducing elements such as seed paper, pebbles, bookmarks, and concealed QR codes to add layers of interactivity. Everything fits nicely into a sleeve, designed to fit within the Canadian “lettermail” size limit to optimize shipping costs. I hunted for print & cut quotes across the region for this 10-piece design to further ensure low costs for the start-up. I orchestrated an efficient assembly line of teammates, ensuring timely product delivery to our attendees.

My favourite part of this design is the pop-up scene within the TV, compiling aspects from all stories in the event. I also love how colourful the entire pack is, enticing to explore. As an added easter egg to the storytelling event, I turned the process of making the package into a virtual maze of its own. Other contributions were made in the concept and creation for the Lawrence Heights neighborhood virtual story space


The final design and all of its pieces. The highlight is the TV cube with the layers making a scene of Toronto including elements from the stories to be told. The design for our trial event included a pull-out drive-in feature which connected to a postcard flap to complete the top scene. Due to its intricacy, we removed this for the final event.
A DIY prototype showing the layered tv scene, the pull-out drive-in scene on top, and the overall sleeve with reveals connected to the digital space. Close up of the first proper prototype, with an idea to make the frame be inside a car which we later changed so that the entire box could look like a retro TV
For the trial event, I produced the 30 copies we needed using my CTLxDMZ grant to access the flatbed UV printer to print on paperboard sheets. I used the remaining funds to get it cut by a classmate and business starter. However, since they shared the incorrect dimensions for production space so we weren't able to use their cutting machine with our printed sheets. I had to hand-cut each piece myself to ensure quality. I've learned a lot about working with vendors through this process For the final event producing hundreds of copies, I reached out to many local production companies to find the most competitive quote considering the start-up nature. This is some proofs we were marking up. After the misfortune of our initial vendor for the trial event, I got to learn how to find efficiencies in hand-cutting the 10+ pieces over 30 times. UV graphics are welcoming in not stripping when using tape to stabilize many pieces. I now have access to weights would make this much easier.

Toronto Rewind Physical Experience

2021

Seizing an opportunity to work with a journalism start-up, unleashing limitless creativity into a packaging complement for a live storytelling virtual event. Overcoming initial production challenges of the 10pcs design for the trial event, I applied learnings to ensure an efficient process for the main event involving 500 copies, maintaining the exciting unboxing experience.

Creating concepts on how to convert the written story into a digitally traversable experience The first map of the easter egg within the event which converted the physical complement into a digital experience accessible to all A still from the tutorial video to help participants fully engage once the event began
The map for the virtual event, even digitally we can get lost. It is my goal to minimize any potential discomfort before it happens in any of the creations I contribute to

Toronto Rewind Virtual Experience

2021

I am so proud to have been a part of this journalism start-up in its unique opportunity to support the creation of their virtual event which would take participants through a digital space with interactive elements engaging all senses and realms of thought. While my main responsibility was relaying this layered experience into a physical packaging-adjacent component, I also supported with ideation and testing the virtual spaces to ensure participant satisfaction.

Global News TV Clip


When I discovered that structural packaging design was my calling, I had imagined myself working in a role with as much accessibility to experience and learn about the depths of the paper packaging industry, opportunities to apply new innovations or to curate solutions for each customer, and the environment to explore creative possibilities as this role offered.

Being the first designer at the Ajax facility, it made everyday feel like new ground as I developed the facility to serve design needs. I worked remotely alongside my food and beverage teams based across the USA, and was the sole designer on both due to my production location functioning in both, the consistent exposure of which granted me an advantageous understanding of manufacturing.

I was lucky to also travel in this role to other plants and offices, trade shows and customer site experiences, gaining valuable insights into the nuances of the paper packaging industry. From types of board structures and testing for all climates, considerations for high-speed automation and efficiency optimizations I was sure to inquire about often to learn all the tricks which contributed to the prime positioning of WestRock.

One of the first noteworthy projects I worked on was the Krispy Kreme Valentines Carton, featuring a large heart window with detachable smaller hearts doubling as Valentines cards without compromising product quality or materials. You can see it featured in a Dieline article here. The focus of specialised cuts to ease removal of the heart cards led to nomination for an industry award. Setting the stage for further recognition in subsequent innovations including patent considerations and in 2022, the honour of being the Employee Spotlight for Packaging Design Day.

More recently, I tackled the design of a fully enclosed 24-can pack, incorporating a graphic advent calendar with a 5th panel. This design leveraged production capabilities to maximize design possibilities while maintaining print production and automation efficiency. The design prioritised efficiency through a no-strip and limited glue approach, with adjustments to minimize impact on filling speeds.

Significant projects worked on:

  • Paper bakery solutions for Costco Canada, Krispy Kreme, Dairy Queen, Walmart, Publix and Carolina Foods, and other customers

  • Varied take-out-plastic opportunities with clips, wraps and fully enclosed cartons for Coca-Cola, ABinBev, Molson Beverages, RedBull, Arizona, Carlsberg and more

  • Production trials and testing of can paper clips with brands such as ABinBev & Pepsi

  • Multipack folding carton solutions for Campbell’s Snacks, UTZ Snacks and Kelloggs

  • Assorted food service including formed cartons for Whataburger, Virtual Dining Concepts on Mariah Carey and MR.Beast projects, CMI, and others


The post on WestRock socials highlighting me for Package Design Day. You can check it out at this link below, sorry I haven't figured out a better way to hyperlink this with how this caption is made to appear. https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVlu66j3fb/ Posing with the plotter table I had in my Ajax lab. Being the sole designer on my international team using this sort of table made me good at troubleshooting this sort of technology
The Krispy Kreme Valentines 2021 carton was the first project I worked on and could see in my local market. I was so proud of the tear off cards which maintain window and original carton functions Top photo is me working on a side project of covering my back office wall with Czech scenery, using a weight and the plotter to trim the white edges made during printing. Due to the lack of laser in my old Zund table, I manually nudged the knife point and got close to check placement. <br> <br> Bottom pic is me at the Atlanta design facility chekcing out the added features in their new Kongsberg. Im holding the tool to align blade height, which I had to do by eye with my home table. This was a photo used in a presentation about the ease of return for packaging reuse
An ArtiosCAD render of one of my final projects in role, an advent calender with minimal disruption to the existing production process and package integrity An example of the paper replacement solution for plastic beer clips, we worked on many variants for many products. With a printed look that good, how could we think it was ever cool to hurt the turtles I had ideas about replacing the plastic tray for cookies with a one-piece paper solution An example of the paper replacement solution for plastic beer clips, we worked on many variants for many products. With a printed look that good, how could we think it was ever cool to hurt the turtles
In my first month, I created this glue-less and single-piece heart-shaped pizza box My Zund table had a rapid demise, but I always enjoy finding the humor in a situation. Having a little photoshoot to commemorate the times we've had, making a veil and wearing the ear-protection I wore around it since the vacuum was so loud. I posed six times around it to simulate carrying it like a casket at a funeral. My records had conflicting information on when the table was 'born'

Working in Design at WestRock

2021-23

Coming out of university, I was so happy to find myself in a role which supported the replacement of plastic solutions and also gave me access to the wide breadths of the industry. The role was built for me at a facility close to where I was already living, I essentially built up my lab from scratch as their first on-site designer. It was an honour to work with a diverse range of customers, tailoring solutions and being creative in finding innovations within existing systems. This experience enriched my knowledge in automation, design development, production & testing equipment, industry intricacies and project management.


During the last semester of my undergrad I had the opportunity to work with Donna Razik, a professor of mine, to launch a competition in collaboration with Nestle Turtles to take place in-line with teaching students about package prototyping. Pictured on the left are the finalists from the class, it was a pleasure to help students make their visions tangible and provide feedback on techniques or concepts. The new Richoh flatbed UV printer and Formech vacuum former at TorontoMU’s Design + Technology LAB (Formerly Ryerson’s Creative Technology Lab) has allowed us to explore new methods of high and low fidelity prototyping.

In our tests we were able to create prototypes of printed pouches with the option of adding a zipper, vacuum formed trays, and overwrap packaging using 3D printed food product replicas. These explorations have influenced me to continue this research in prototyping with my DFZxCTL grant where I created the low fidelity pop up egg and gift pictured and instead of using the remainder to continue researching graphic displacement in vacuum forming, I applied it to produce the trial event packaging for the start-up project you just saw above this section.

I continued my passion of sharing packaging knowledge in my role as VP of Competitions in TorontoMU’s student packaging group in my final year. I had the opportunity to facilitate packaging competitions for fellow GCM students including the Corrugami Logo Challenge, Egg Drop, and the PPA Student Design Challenge for 2021. Throughout these I have hosted workshops and 1-on-1 meetings to mentor the students, propel their ideas and guide them through the creation and competition process.

Having won the entire competition in the previous year, big shoes to fill in, I wanted to push myself for the following year's entry, becoming dedicated to including an Augmented Reality component. The prompt was to partner with a charitable organisation and create a packaging concept to support their mission. A junior student joined our duo making us a trio, with intentions to impart our skills and also support workload as we were busy in the final year of our studies. We partnered with a local non-profit organisation dedicated to amplifying the voices of children by inspiring their imagination,building critical literacy and communication skills. During the pandemic they started hosting virtual birthday parties with a Dungeons & Dragons story building format for which we designed a physical packaging component for.


A collage of the finalists from the in-house Nestle competition, showcasing the students concepts for primary and secondary holiday chocolate packaging.
An example of the printed pouch, the first prototype of this sort made on campus We used a heated wire to turn the UV-printed plastic sheet into a fully formed pouch. Not pictured is repurposing the zipper from other bags to make our prototypes even more functional In the course I was available for student labs, being a guide for producing with the wide format printer and plotter table

Packaging Prototyping Teaching Assitant

2020-21

Assisted with the implementation of in-class packaging competition which was a partnership between Nestle Turtles and GCM 808: Packaging Prototyping. In this I created course materials, tutorials, conducted feedback and idea development meetings with students and output all prototypes on campus. In addition we created new prototypes for pouches and overwrap solutions and methods of creating them to offer alternative packaging designs for the students to use.

This is the first Ricoh flatbed UV printer installed in Canada. This tool added the capability for recyclable printed prototypes on campus as previously we were laminating vinyl prints to the paper boards
Examples of the vacuum formed trays, this was new technology to me and I wish I had more time to research the displacement of graphics in this format The first pop-ups I made using a 90-degree rule for the sculpture to erect. I used what I learned here to make the cake pop up in our PPA SDC 2021 entry The number of sheets I had printed using the grant overwhelmed me too when unexpected vendor problems led me to hand-cutting them out with no easy guide on the print.

CTLxDFZ Grant

2021

I was lucky to obtain this grant to further explore the possibilities with prototyping with access to the CTLxDFZ resources. I started with trialing pop-up paper structures, my intention was to expand my understanding on how we can make the 2D materials 3D, which turned into exploring the displacement of printed graphics when vacuum forming. In the end, I used a majority of the funds to support the journalism start up I was a part of so that we could affordably produce my intricate paper design for the trial event.

The Instagram post introducing the public to my role The Instagram post announcing the main packaging competition in which I participated and managed other student teams entries, supporting them with producing prototypes and discussions to further their designs
A shot of the campus plotter table cutting out multiple variants of a student design to support their process In my role I discovered our program had access to ArtiosCAD, the leading packaging CAD software which is far too expensive to be accessible out of industry as a student trying to learn. I fought for personal access remotely with my home computer and made sure to share access with anyone interested. This is an ArtiosCAD render made by a fellow student as a result This is a render made in Blender by a fellow student for the PPA competition, this design is intended to be a welcome package for a women's shelter, containing essentials and some heart

MetPack (Formerly RyePack)

2020-21

Being the VP of Competitions at TorontoMU's Packaging student group has given me the opportunity to facilitate packaging competitions for GCM students including Corrugami Logo Challenge, Egg Drop, PPA Student Design Challenge 2021 and initializing plans for an internal competition. Throughout the year I have hosted workshops and 1-on-1 meetings to help develop the students skills and their competition entries.

This project was my introduction to ArtiosCAD, this a graphic showcasing the contents of our design using renders I made in Artios This was the card featured in our package with the QR code to activate the Augmented Reality experience
With little to no instructional material on navigating ArtiosCAD, it was truly a challenge to configure our designs, and the patience for rendering animations for hours on my brother's gamer PC just to find a fault I would have to correct and repeat the whole process A lo-fi prototype of the glue-less roll-up map design featuring four cubes with story-related surprises inside Late night process of configuring the dieline for our main component, the roll-out map with 4 compartments and additional reveals
Render of the exterior of our design as it would be shipped to the birthday kid Render of our package at the first step of the unboxing process, I designed a flap which would initially hide the other component, but also provided stabilization of contents in shipping. Render of the main game map piece in its rolled-up form, with an exterior message to ensure the recipient doesn't open it until instructed to in the storytelling party Render of the map un-rolled, with the flat image reveals opened. We used a fold and tuck technique to keep this feature glue-less Render of the map un-rolled, showing the contents outside of their cubes. Two character cards, four ghost rings and four potion bottles. Render of the pop-up birthday cake structure in its erected state

Adventure Club Party Box - PPA SDC Shout-out

2021

Determined to try new technologies and techniques to exceed the capabilities demonstrated when we won the year prior, I taught myself how to draw, render and animate in ArtiosCAD, how to design pop-up structures as well as creating Augmented Reality experiences via Adobe Aero. To enhance the educational value and handle the intricacies of our ambitious glue-less design, we welcomed a mentee to our team, enriching our collaborative effort to deliver our full vision.


Through coursework as a student in the Packaging Prototyping course I created this structurally glue-less corrugate frame prototype for Scentso, a fictional mens cosmetics brand. For the prototype there is adhesive to adhere the printed vinyl layer, which was once the only method available for printed prototypes on campus. This was intended to be ready-to-ship, using the shipping label to secure where the wrap connects with itself.

After winning first place amongst my peers in pitching concepts for another project in this course, I continued the work out of the classroom as a freelance designer to support the local cosmetic brand in creating new visuals and structures for their serum and oil product lines.


A prototype of this design, which was hopeful to be strong enough to withstand shipping without hiding the product. Later learnings revealed this wouldn't be desired due to potential theft. Showing how the design would look in its unboxing process Posed shot of the product I designed this prototype for, how it makes a stage for the product to shine Showing the internal side of this wrap design, which used a leafy print to communicate freshness in the product
Concept sketches in coming up with a design for this cosmetic product

Scentso

2019

Scentso is a fictional mens cosmetic brand we were tasked with creating an e-commerce corrugated package design that would also be used for shipping. I chose this existing men's toner product to design around where I had a vision of a single sided print frame design I brought to life. Unlike the prototype, the only adhesive I intended to include was from the shipping label which would have an added purpose of further securing the frame around the product.

Posed shot of the final design for the two products I designed the packaging for. On the top, there is text to help know which product it is when stacked in a shelf space-saving manner. On the minor flap, there is a handwritten message from the brand owner Posed shot of the final design for the two products I designed the packaging for. On the top, there is text to help know which product it is when stacked in a shelf space-saving manner. On the minor flap, there is a handwritten message from the brand owner Posed shot of the final design for the two products I designed the packaging for. On the top, there is text to help know which product it is when stacked in a shelf space-saving manner. On the minor flap, there is a handwritten message from the brand owner
Our trio posing for our in-class win with the product and our two-piece packaging concept Sharing the prototypes with the brand owner at a cafe, testing for feel and function

Prophecy Botanicals

2019

After our trio came in first place for a class competition designing new concepts for a local cosmetic brand, I was offered my first freelance role to continue converting this design into a saleable product following local laws and regulations.