Strategy wraps up the year with the perfect gift
As a creative agency, Strategy believes it is absolutely expected that its end-of-year gift should express its creative skill. At the same time, it wanted to give something of value, not simply do ‘art for art’s sake’. An additional consideration, is the need for a gift that is as well-received by its VIP clients as it is by its suppliers and contractors; something that every person can accept despite the strict rules some businesses have in place around receiving gifts.
Says Fraser Callaway, group managing partner, Strategy: “This annual, 30-year tradition, challenges each of our designers across all studios to develop designs for Christmas wrapping paper. The brief is completely open: each designer has free reign to express their own creative style. Each year, we turn out an entirely new mix of designs that never fail to surprise.”
From minimalist geometry to poetic whimsy or a dash of humour, the designs are as diverse as the personalities across our studios. Most recently, designers at Strategy have taken inspiration from the turbulent last couple of years – paying homage to iconic moments and events. With a huge range of ideas and styles, the toughest part of the project is choosing which papers get printed from the dozens submitted. Packaged neatly in a custom A4 envelope, the set of 10 different, A2 designs are sent out in early December to all of our clients and suppliers.
Says Nick Harvey, managing partner, Strategy Christchurch: “The last few years, we’ve had a lot of clients email and call in, checking up on when they will be receiving their Christmas paper. They seriously look forward to it, which is awesome to see. We’ve even had some clients frame the paper as posters instead.”
The Strategy Christmas wrapping paper set is small-scale enough to be ‘acceptable’ for those clients who are not allowed to receive gifts. Yet, the inspiring and eclectic set of designs has become a celebrated, iconic tradition, pre-empted by many. Creative, fun to produce, and especially useful at midnight on Christmas eve when the wrapping begins.
Agency: Strategy Creative
Printer: Spectrum Print
