For many years, men have largely been sidelined by the beauty industry. The concept of ‘personal grooming’ has always been considered more of a female interest, with large companies spending millions on advertising campaigns aimed specifically at females.

However, the rise of the metrosexual and more recently, the ubersexual, has paved the way forward and made it socially acceptable for the average man on the street to take pride in his appearance without being seen as overtly feminine. Gone are the days where men were seen as rugged and unkept. Today, more and more men are dabbling with the idea of face wash, toner and moisturiser, and handkerchiefs have largely become an outdated concept. This brewing interest in personal hygiene among men has caused the beauty industry to stop and take note of the fact that no-one is catering to this largely untapped market.

In light of this recent trend, Twinsaver decided to introduce a new range of men’s facial tissues into the South African market. However, the company faced a big challenge in that the design of the packaging needed to be appropriate for the target market. For this task Creative Licence, a dynamic graphic design, brand creation and brand mentoring company, was asked to lend its expertise and design the packaging of the Twinsaver for Men Tissue range.

The newly launched Twinsaver for Men tissue box and pocket pack range offers men large, strong and durable tissues that are both more accessible and more hygienic than handkerchiefs. The range is available in pocket size packs convenient for storage in the car, office, gym bag or briefcase.

The challenge was to design packaging that was distinctly masculine in appearance. Men may well be using more grooming products than ever before, but this does not mean that they want to use tissues pastel in colour with floral decorations on the packaging. The last thing a man wants to do when in a meeting, or when out playing a game of cricket or soccer, is use a delicately decorated pack of tissues.

According to Jan Okker, Production Manager of Creative Licence, “we incorporated more muted greens, yellows, blues and reds into the packaging – all colours traditionally considered more masculine in appearance. Another important feature of the pack design is the fact that each different pack displays a different sport. The use of photography was a challenge in regards to the print limitations, and careful consideration had to be given when preparing the artwork for the flexographic printing.

Through this uniquely clear-cut design, Creative Licence has managed to reach the heart of the target market and ensured that the tissues have a masculine feel.