Background
Flint STEM Camps was the passion project of entrepreneurs Max Soto and Wilson Hack. They created Flint to make it easier for educators to spark exploration in young minds. Max and Wilson met while studying engineering at the University of Kansas. They attended typical STEM camps and believed there had to be a better way to ignite excitement around the crucial fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Their cutting-edge, but simple-to-execute, “STEM Camp in a Box” method received stellar reviews from campers, educators and parents alike. Flint believed this is STEM as it should be.
Challenge
The original company was called IntellX, which was hard to pronounce, spell and remember. It also didn't connect the excitement of the idea that the founders had to spark a new way of promoting STEM education. The idea of flint, or sparking rocks, led to the development of a mark that could be used across media—print, digital and packaging.
The packaging assignment was significant. Initially, the camp materials came in one large box that was expensive to ship and unwieldy, if not dangerous, for instructors to receive and carry. Additionally, the materials needed to be repacked and returned to Flint, which created another design complication.
Solution
The packaging idea was inspired by a mashup of a suitcase and a holiday candy sampler. I designed four suitcase-like cartons of equal size that held materials for the entire camp and organized them by camp activity. Two each were housed in a double-wall corrugate carton to absorb shipping and handling. This allowed the instructor to unbox and easily carry the camp materials in two trips from car to classroom. Graphically, the boxes form four different puzzles that highlight the experience. We teased the idea via social media to jump-start the connection.
Art direction & design // Chris Ralston Writer // Kitty Schulz
Account management // John Kuefler, Jill Hartman
Engineering and printing // Lawrence Paper Company, Lawrence, Kansas
Account management // John Kuefler, Jill Hartman
Engineering and printing // Lawrence Paper Company, Lawrence, Kansas
