I had the incredible opportunity to design General Mills' 2026 Holiday Gift Box! Over 10,000 of these boxes will be sent out during the holiday season, featuring my artwork and filled with brand-new General Mills products set to launch in 2027.
This project took over six months to bring to life, with countless hours of drawing, sketching, revising, and perfecting every detail.
The first concept sketch presented a holiday toy shop theme, featuring the General Mills characters inside a festive workshop, bringing the holiday spirit to life.
The second concept sketch featured a winter ski and snowboard theme, showcasing the General Mills characters enjoying the snowy slopes. After reviewing both concepts, General Mills decided to move forward with the holiday toy shop theme.
I often do this when working with clients to give them a better understanding of my illustration style. It allows me to show how I approach color, composition, and the placement of different elements within a drawing, giving them a clearer idea of what the final artwork could look like.
The main feedback from this drawing was that the characters needed to be more prominent and involved in the scene, rather than just standing around. The goal was to make the workshop feel more active, with each character actually building toys and contributing to the holiday atmosphere.
After receiving feedback on the first refined drawing, I began exploring new ways to bring the characters forward and make them more involved in the workshop. These next drawings focused on creating a more active scene, with the characters interacting and working together to bring the holiday toy shop to life.
The goal during this stage was to get the design for the top of the box exactly where we wanted it before moving on to the sides. Once the top illustration was finalized, I could take elements from that artwork and carry them across the remaining panels to create one cohesive design.
Concept Development 01
Concept Development 02
This is where I transitioned to drawing the characters playing with toys.
Concept Development 03
Concept Development 04
This concept here was their favorite and close enough for me to get started on working on the final design.
This was my first time setting up artwork for a physical box in Adobe Illustrator, so I had to learn how to properly arrange the design across the box template to make sure everything lined up correctly when printed and assembled.
For the final design, I illustrated every side and the top of the box, making sure the artwork flowed together across each panel. Each section was carefully designed to bring the General Mills characters and holiday toy shop to life while creating one cohesive design for the entire box.
General Mills Holiday Box — Video 01
General Mills Holiday Box — Video 02
