In 2011, Semihandmade launched with a simple goal: to create a system around IKEA cabinets that offers handmade craftsmanship doors and hardware at a competitive price. With 10 years and 20,000 projects in the books, it was time to expand and launch a lifestyle brand through BOXI—a direct-to-consumer cabinet solution. Leveraging the brand equity of Semihandmade, Enlisted was brought in to build out the brand strategy and creative execution, inclusive of visual brand identity, product accessories ideation and design, launch landing page and product renders and animations.

CHALLENGE >     APPROACH >     RESULTS >

SERVICES
Brand Strategy | Messaging | Visual Design | Industrial Design | Animation

INDUSTRY
Home Organization

If Semihandmade was able to take good IKEA products and make them better, BOXI is here to make every home organization system the best. 

Our industrial design team needed to take products that exist in the market already—drawer organizers, shelves, hooks, and cushions—and elevate them to align with the upscale BOXI brand promise. To create a certain aesthetic, the materials needed to be refined; the fit needed to be exact. We designed a system of organizers that are custom to the various drawers they go in so there’s no sliding around or empty space. The other accessories work hard to maximize the storage and usability in the kitchen, bathroom, and closets so homeowners can benefit fully in the spaces they use the most.

Once the new products were selected and in development, it was time to focus on the brand. The modular, direct-to-consumer, pre-assembled and high-quality product portfolio needed messaging and a visual brand identity that exuded the pure simplicity of the experience. Targeting a design-savvy audience about to embark on a home remodel, we crafted a genuine, rational, and friendly brand that is welcoming without being overwhelming.

Finally, we needed to introduce online consumers to the world to BOXI. Our color palette and typeface needed to appeal to a largely female audience without being over the top. As a fun bonus, we proposed creating an animated product video that would surprise and delight site visitors and potential customers.

The BOXI  team came to us with a broad idea, but not a specific request. They gave us the freedom to explore, and that’s what we did. We scoured the market for the right categories, then developed ideas on where we could help the brand really stand out.

Keeping the customer profile in mind, we needed to develop products that would appeal to a wide range of people and their personal styles—modern versus traditional, subdued versus colorful. We also needed to make sure the products were foolproof,  fitting perfectly every time. With proverbial drawers full of sketches and ideas, we went to work designing the first generation of BOXI’s drawer organizers, shelves, and cushions.

Launching in 2021 in select markets, BOXI is poised to bring functional living spaces to life. The company website tells a story with animation that is eye-catching and informative at the same time. The beautiful products are shown in tidy transformations that invite the consumer to play with the ideas presented.

IKEA cabinets may be considered cookie-cutter to some. To Semihandmade and BOXI, cookie cutters are something that belong in your beautifully organized kitchen drawers.