My approach for designing the main box of the Happy Meal was to use a hand drawn illustrations and typography to display the graphics in a dynamic way. The structure of the box is a bit different from the original Happy Meal. I wanted the structure of the box to look like a workout kettle bell, and have it fold out into an eating tray. The outside contains a hand drawn logo, information about the meal, and a sustainability statement. 

The inside of the box contains health tips links to playlists and recipes to get anyone started on their wellness journey. I used the structure of the box itself to separate the information and included hand drawn symbols and lines to make the text more playful.

For the main entree, the Grilled Chicken Deluxe comes in a fold out box. I designed it this way to test my skills on more unique box design, and showcase food presentability. I included more minimalist illustrations on the outside to mimic artisanal package design.

The fry box is more or less similar to the original McDonald's fry box design, with sharper edges to make the geometric look of the meal containers more cohesive. Given that the side dish is essentially "apple fries," the back of the box features insights into the health benefits of apples.

The drink for this meal is a small protein shake. I wrapped the cup with a simple design and called it the "McMuscle Shake".

This illustration was originally meant for the outside of the box. But as the project evolved, it didn't fit the theme graphically. I decided to cut it into a puzzle that the customer can complete for the toy.

Research was conducted partially to the graphics and illustration on the packaging, and the health/fitness information within the graphics. I utilized various health websites to finalize the wellness tips, and I used inspiration from various artisanal packaging to design dynamic word patterns.

My overall design changed a decent amount over the course of the project, but the original structure of my sketches were able to span the whole project with not much difference.

Illustrations were made on procreate.

Construction was probably the most difficult aspect of this project. Due to the size of the box and the inability to print double sided on that large of a sheet, I was challenged to paste one side of the box to the other. This led to a less-than-desirable finish to the paper, but nonetheless did not affect the box's functionality.

This project has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The first big challenge I faced was the decision to use a main box structure that is different from the original Happy Meal. The folding paper tray design brought it's own set of challenges like having to come up with not only a design on the outside, but another on the inside.

Displaying information within the box was also a rather large hurdle as I wasn't sure how much I would be able to fit without the tray looking clunky or covered in words.

If I could recreate any item of this meal I would chose the main box. I feel I could have used a better approach with assembling and pasting the two sides together, and it did not come out as clean as I wanted it to be. The hours put into this project are not accurately represented in the final product. Eventually, I will attempt to remake these boxes to learn from my mistakes.