Eleven Eleven
Wellness & Menstrual Health
Packaging
Marketing
UK
Eleven Eleven is a UK-based menstrual health and wellness brand founded by a passionate herbalist and wellness advocate. Born from the founder’s own experiences and guided by holistic research, the brand’s mission is to support women through every stage of their hormonal journey from menstruation to menopause.
For their launch, the founder approached me to design packaging for three core products: two herbal supplements tailored to different menstrual phases, and a third focused on menopausal support. The aim was to create a packaging system that was not only functional and beautiful, but also reflective of the brand’s deeply personal story and values.
Summary
From the very first conversation, it was clear that this project was about more than packaging design, it was about translating a personal mission into a visual language. Eleven Eleven was the founder’s life’s work, rooted in her belief in balance, care, and empowerment. She needed a partner who could honor not only the product but also the philosophy and lived experience behind it.
My role became a blend of designer, listener, and translator. Together, we explored the symbolism of Yin, Yang, and Yuan three interconnected forces that shaped the brand’s conceptual foundation. The task was to express these ideas subtly and elegantly, without relying on clichés or overly literal design. Every detail, from the typography’s calm rhythm to the color palette’s nuanced harmony, was chosen to reinforce the feeling of equilibrium and care.
The process was deeply collaborative. We worked through conversations that touched on philosophy, identity, and how design could act as a vessel for values. What emerged was a packaging system that didn’t just “brand” products but embodied a belief system. It gave Eleven Eleven the confident, cohesive foundation it needed to launch, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate future line extensions.
In the end, this wasn’t just about building packaging it was about crafting a visual identity that could carry a philosophy into the hands and lives of its audience.
Challenge
Eleven Eleven presented challenges on multiple levels creative, emotional, and strategic.
The founder had already worked with two designers before me, and neither collaboration aligned with her vision. That experience made her protective of her story, and rightly so. What she needed wasn’t just execution; she needed a creative partner who would listen, understand, and respect the emotional weight behind her products. Earning trust was the first and most important step.
The second challenge lay in the conceptual foundation itself. Yin, Yang, and Yuan are rich, nuanced ideas, but there was no established visual reference for how they could translate into a modern, cohesive packaging system. The risk of being too decorative, too abstract, or too literal was high. The solution had to honor the philosophy while remaining functional, restrained, and scalable across multiple SKUs.
There was also the matter of audience diversity. Eleven Eleven’s products spanned two distinct needs menstruation and menopause. The packaging had to connect with both audiences, speaking to universality and empowerment while still allowing each product to carry its own personality. At the same time, the system had to remain open-ended enough to support future expansions without losing recognition.
In short: the challenge was to merge emotional sensitivity with design clarity, balancing philosophy, storytelling, and market demands in a way that felt timeless rather than trendy.
Solutions
I approached the project with a process that balanced listening, exploration, and disciplined design.
1. Deep Listening & Story Gathering
Before sketching anything, I spent time understanding the founder’s story, motivations, and emotional connection to her work. These conversations became the backbone of the design they clarified not only what the brand wanted to look like but what it needed to feel like.
2. Interpreting Philosophy into Visual Form
Instead of using Yin, Yang, and Yuan as literal symbols, I distilled their qualities balance, duality, and harmony into design elements. The visual system emphasized equilibrium through proportion, color contrast, and subtle geometry, creating packaging that felt intentional, and quietly powerful.
3. Building a Cohesive System
Each product SKU was given its own visual personality through color palette variations and shape language. Yet all were tied together through a shared grid, type system, and restrained aesthetic. This ensured individuality without sacrificing unity.
4. Iteration & Expansion
The system was designed with longevity in mind. When the Yuan variant was introduced later, it wasn’t just an add-on; it was an opportunity to expand the system meaningfully. The new product fit seamlessly into the existing structure while adding fresh nuance, proving the system’s flexibility.
5. Emotional Resonance
At every step, the guiding principle was empathy designing not just for aesthetics but for connection. The packaging became a vessel for the founder’s values, bridging the gap between personal mission and market presence.
The result was a packaging identity that carried both intention and restraint. It held space for philosophy without overwhelming it, and it gave the founder confidence that her products were represented with dignity, elegance, and care.