Christopher Abarca

2024 / Identity / Packaging / Art Direction

Hoku Lei Jewelry

A flexible jewelry identity and packaging direction for casual plated pieces, boutique displays, and more elevated solid jewelry offerings.

Hoku Lei jewelry packaging suite with navy gift bag, aqua botanical tissue, windowed boxes, pouch, cards, tags, and gold jewelry.
Role

Brand direction, naming, identity, packaging, and production development

Client

Hoku Lei

Project

Client brand development

Scope

Positioning, naming pitches, identity, packaging, and factory coordination

Medium

Brand system, Packaging, Photography direction

Location

Hawaii

Hoku Lei jewelry packaging suite with navy and cream boxes, aqua botanical cards, velvet pouch, tags, ribbon, and jewelry.
01 The finished suite expands the visual direction into a full gifting and retail system.
Close-up Hoku Lei necklace and earring packaging with navy windowed box, aqua botanical insert, and cream display box.
02 Windowed earring boxes and open necklace packaging make the product visible while keeping the reveal tactile.
Hoku Lei packaging study board with color swatches, logo cards, botanical line art, inserts, foil tests, and box mockups.
03 Study boards translate the navy, aqua, mint, cream, and gold palette into typography, inserts, windows, and finishes.

Flexible retail jewelry

The system needed to feel trustworthy at different price points and sales environments.

Hoku Lei was built to support plated casual pieces in larger retail stores while still feeling refined enough for boutiques, shows, events, and higher-end solid jewelry.

Hoku Lei packaging process table with dielines, windowed box prototypes, insert cards, tissue, paper swatches, ribbon, and jewelry.
Dielines, inserts, tissue, and paper samples show how the packaging system works before production.

Brief

JC Jewelry came to me with a broad product and retail idea. I led the positioning, developed and pitched names for trademark review, created the identity and packaging direction, and worked with the client and factory to develop a system that could sell securely in larger stores while still feeling right in boutiques, shows, and events.

Concept

The name Hoku Lei means a shining star. The idea was to create a brand for pieces that could shine and shimmer no matter the price point or occasion, from casual plated jewelry to more luxurious solid pieces.

Trust became the main promise of the brand. The palette uses traditional navy and white with turquoise highlights, giving the system a stable retail foundation with a small local twist.

System

The system extends across box wraps, bags, inserts, windowed earring boxes, necklace cards, paperboard cartons, pouches, hang tags, and supporting brand direction. Each piece needed to protect the product, make the purchase feel giftable, and keep the brand recognizable across different environments.

Outcome

The final direction gives Hoku Lei a polished package family with enough range for everyday retail, boutique selling, event tables, and more elevated jewelry moments.

Image archive

5 selected visual moments

Hoku Lei jewelry packaging suite with navy and cream boxes, aqua botanical cards, velvet pouch, tags, ribbon, and jewelry.
01 The finished suite expands the visual direction into a full gifting and retail system.
Close-up Hoku Lei necklace and earring packaging with navy windowed box, aqua botanical insert, and cream display box.
02 Windowed earring boxes and open necklace packaging make the product visible while keeping the reveal tactile.
Hoku Lei packaging study board with color swatches, logo cards, botanical line art, inserts, foil tests, and box mockups.
03 Study boards translate the navy, aqua, mint, cream, and gold palette into typography, inserts, windows, and finishes.
Hoku Lei packaging process table with dielines, windowed box prototypes, insert cards, tissue, paper swatches, ribbon, and jewelry.
04 Dielines, inserts, tissue, and paper samples show how the packaging system works before production.
Hoku Lei editorial jewelry detail with gold necklace, earrings, cream box, aqua insert card, navy pouch, and botanical tissue.
05 Close product photography connects the package materials back to the jewelry scale and finish.

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