Agency: Idea Dolls London
Creative Director: Siena Dexter
Lead Copywriter: Siena Dexter
Lead Designer & illustrator: Olivia Goodenough
Junior Copywriter: Alexander Murphy
Conceptual creative: Iris Dudek
Location: United Kingdom
Project Type: Commissioned brief, currently still pre-production
Client: Binti Period
Packaging Contents: Reusable cloth menstrual pads
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Cardboard
Printing Process: Digital Printing

When we met with Manjit Gill founder of Binti – a multi-award winning charity providing menstrual products to girls and women in the UK, India, US, Nairobi and Africa, an opportunity to put our creativity to good use was presented.

Our brief was to create a brand and packaging design for Binti’s launch of reusable cloth pads to the UK market. We saw an opportunity to move away from the traditional feminine design cues of the category, for greater gender inclusivity while updating perception of cloth pads – reviving the reusable product for a new generation of eco-conscious shoppers.

The purpose of the project is manifold: to raise money for Binti’s non-profit projects, educate consumers about menstrual health and actively work to reduce the tonnes of plastics used every year through disposable menstrual products.

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Our category research showed that 15-24 year olds are most likely to use reusable products and that only 5% of women in the UK currently use reusables. The category had little consumer loyalty overall, with the main driver to purchase being price and both premium and value brands were female-shopper biased.

We set out to create a brand that’s gender-inclusive – after all not all those who menstruate are women, and not all women menstruate. Our mission was to create a brand that shows the reality of menstruation, in-line with Binti’s mission of educating girls and women.

Terminology around menstrual products holds negative connotations. Language like “feminine hygiene” and “sanitary” pads reinforce antiquated attitudes surrounding the “uncleanliness” of menstruation.

Instead of calling our pads “sanitary”, we prefer the term ‘menstrual wear’ – with a nod to the reusable nature of the product and without shying away from the fact that this is a product for menstruation.

The idea of cycles was central to our concept; the menstrual cycle, the cycles of generations, and the recycling of materials we use. The tagline ‘for future cycles’ emerged as a natural guide to our messaging, while our visual expression illustrates the idea of cycles with a clean, two-tone split of crimson red and light blue – a drop of blood connecting the two ‘phases’, much like our menstrual cycle connects the very separate phases of ‘bleeding’ and ‘not bleeding’.

For the logo, we used a simple, clear geometric typeface, underlining the ‘future’ element of the brand without leaning too far towards impersonal or clinical, while Josephin Sans worked nicely for the body copy and would be an easy font for Binti volunteers to find.

What’s Unique?
Cloth pads are not a new invention of our generation, but the premium positioning of disposables has made reusables fall out of fashion, giving way to blue liquid and secret periods ‘no one needs to know about’. We hope that through education and clear, transparent messaging, we can move towards lifting the period taboo, while positioning reusables as the product of the future and cutting down on pointless plastic waste.

We hope that our very special partnership with Binti Period will pave the way to more responsible, conscious future cycles