Celeste
Caldwell

 Design
  1. Heath
  2. The Gendered Burden of Care Work
  3. Lands End 
  4. Plant for Pollinators
  5. Driving the Parkway
  6. WashU27

Illustration
  1. Makin’ Sourdough
  2. Dog Park
  3. All Moved In
  4. Try Natural Dyes
  5. Cat’s Meow
  6. Japanese Gardens
About






D004 → Plant for Pollinators

November–December 2023




A series of three custom seed packets and mailers for a fictional nonprofit seeking to encourage residents of the city of St. Louis to plant native for pollinators. I chose to feature plants which were native to St. Louis, easy to grow, and adaptable to many different yard conditions. These choices and the informational text included were informed by resources provided by Grow Native!, part of the Missouri Praire Foundation. 
In this project, I sought to create a mailer which was fresh, fun, and encouraged interaction. I wanted to be sure that it didn’t look like junk mail and would effectively educate residents on the issue. To support these goals, I balanced a contemporary color palette with vintage-inspired type, and drawn elements informed by 19th century botanical illustrations. 





After assembling a moodboard and conducting typeface research, I gathered content for the seed packet design and created many iterations until I found the most dynamic composition. 





I experimented with color until I found a two-tone palette that felt playful and contemporary. After many print tests, I worked on applying the system to an encasing mailer which would invite interaction and compliment the seed packet. 

The mailer is a 1/4” deep and printed on speckletone cover stock to help it stand out among bills and advertisements in the mailbox. The bee’s flight pattern guides the viewer to the seal, inviting it to be opened. The viewer is awarded with a huge pop of color, and new elements are revealed with every fold. 

Typeset in PP Pangaia and Neulis Neue.