CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Target
CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Project Overview
THE BRIEF
As part of the larger American Greetings account strategy for Target, the Papyrus creative team was challenged with pitching a multi-category gifting collection for the 2025 holiday season. The high-volume program would need to highlight core Papyrus brand drivers — artist hand, high-quality materials, and handmade details — while also telling a compelling story at retail and meeting Target’s price-value metrics.
MY ROLE
I was asked to lead the creative direction and collection development for the program, managing the end-to-end creative and “plus one” strategy that would evolve the assortment beyond standard core product planning. The result, an expansive collection featuring a broad assortment of artwork, thoughtful styling and tactile details, would tell a compelling and sensory story at retail.
CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Mood & Approach
COZY CHALET
Cozy Chalet was one of two trends selected for full-scale development — spanning from commissioned artwork to production samples — for the Target pitch. This trend story featured a modern rustic approach to the holidays, anchored in the consumer’s desire for gathering, warmth and the ritual of nesting.
PALETTE
A traditional holiday palette was enriched with an assortment of greens, from dark olive to various shades of sage, and grounded with earthy neutrals such as ochre, coffee cream and slate gray.
My goal with color development was to push the collection beyond “Classic Christmas,” which can feel dated and undynamic, while also avoiding the sterility and coldness of modernism. This required a focus on both color and color styling, supplementing more traditional looks with unexpected color mixing and analogous palettes.
MATERIALS
I always favor a high-low approach and took the opportunity to pitch some unexpected materials such as warm pearls, pebbled matte metallic leathers and antique foils. Executed with restraint and thoughtfulness, these details would add a refined feel to the collection when partnered with wood grain, sherpa/boucle and twills.
CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Assortment Strategy
My goal for the program was three-fold: create a compelling and cohesive story at retail, ensure the multi-tiered assortment approach was thoughtfully coordinated, and delight the Target guest with surprising handmade details for which the Papyrus brand is known.
PATTERN TIERING
I carefully curated a mix of pattern categories — from narrative-driven conversationals to textural all-overs such as faux bois and herringbone — ensuring that all artist hands (two outside artists and multiple in-house illustrators) were balanced across the assortment.
PLUS ONE ARCHITECTURE
Building from the base pattern development that would be featured on bags and wrap, I strategized with the product development and product management teams to determine the right product mix to round out the assortment and ensure the maximizing of key metrics such UPT/ATV. These “plus one” items included gift tags, sticker labels, ribbon, tissue and handmade gift topper.s
TACTILE VARIETY
As artwork was executed and finalized, I worked in tandem with the early sourcing department to develop beautiful coordinating handmade gift toppers featuring lasercut wood, embroidered sherpa and stitched leathers.
Shown at right, mid-point development styling shared with internal product management leadership.
TOPPER “PLUS ONE” DEVELOPMENT SPAN
CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Art Development & Process
The end-to-end development of the collection relied on a careful stewardship of multiple artist hands across a large-scale assortment. I selected and partnered with illustrators Darah Macres and Yas Imamura, commissioning each to develop 8-10 pieces of original artwork for outright purchase. To build a visual narrative that felt both expansive and cohesive — and ensure the collection was commercially balanced — I worked in tandem with our in-house illustrators to layer in supporting designs, ensuring our key hero patterns were anchored with essential coordinates.
Shown below, some first round sketches along with final repeats.
KEY PATTERN · CHALETS & TREES
This pattern, a quirky toile featuring chalets, trees and critters nestled into a snowy landscape, was developed as an all-over repeat with the intent of using spot artwork for placements and development of handmade items such as gift toppers.
Artist Darah Macres and I worked on several rounds, beginning with sketches and blocking, and finalizing with color and thinking through the half-drop repeat. The shadows necessary to create depth within the snow were a perfect way to introduce the slate gray color from the palette.
CASE STUDY · RETAILER STRATEGY & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Rollout & Impact
The collection moved into full production, a process that involved complex art file builds and the selection of every tactile touchpoint, from ribbon and coordinating tissue to handmade gift toppers. As part of this expansive rollout, I also introduced a new product format: a sticker folio featuring a curated set of coordinating labels.
While the program was initially conceptualized as a seasonal pitch for Target, the strength of the Cozy Chalet collection led to an internal pivot. Recognizing that the assortment perfectly captured the premium essence of the brand’s identity, Papyrus chose to integrate the collection into its core holiday line for 2025.
