SERVICEPLAN GERMANY

Dyeing clothes used to be a rather toxic process – Aizome has now developed a method that is not only environmentally friendly, but also has a positive effect on health. The resulting wastewater is repackaged as a face serum. Serviceplan, together with the New York-based design studio Workbyworks, has implemented an intuitively experienceable promotion campaign for this, which was conceived to be remarkably ecological.

Interview with SERVICEPLAN

Red Dot: An environmentally friendly method for dyeing clothes sounds almost revolutionary. How does it work?
SERVICEPLAN: Aizome Ultra uses a patented ultrasonic dyeing method that binds plant molecules to the fibre. This promises long-lasting colour on the one hand and health benefits on the other. There is a broad spectrum of medicinal plants that have a variety of well-being properties: indigo, for example, turns yarn blue and makes the fabric anti-inflammatory, which is beneficial for eczema-prone skin; rubia produces a red pigment and helps alleviate menstrual pain; and turmeric is used for a yellow colour and also acts as an antioxidant.

“Wastecare” is again a skincare product derived from the wastewater of the dyeing process. You have developed a promotional box for it. Many details, such as the different intensity of the folder colouring, let the viewer understand the product little by little. What else was important?
The punctured dot holes here, for example, work as coordinates, binding the whole narrative thread together. They not only helped with the structure of the box itself, but also served as a grid for carefully configuring all of the information and the layout. The lettering, in turn, resembles an ultrasonic waveform and reminds the audience of the core technology that made all this possible.

The response rate was astonishingly high: Do you also attribute this to the haptic experience and the tactile engagement with the information?
Absolutely – the unboxing experience is all that matters. We designed the box to incorporate all the information and materials into the unboxing process in an intuitive way. The overall experience is an unfolding of the story that Aizome and Serviceplan were meaning to tell. Instead of just showing all the elements, we wanted to invite people to dive layer by layer into our box.

Not only the materials of the box are sustainable, but its construction as well, which does without any additional outer packaging. What role do ecological aspects play in the design?
It is always good to consider sustainable aspects in design. In this project, however, the ecological aspects are particularly important, as it involves a wastewater skincare product. Therefore, the idea of waste-free, fully recyclable packaging fits perfectly with the whole story.