The Adventure Challenge | Date Night

My Role: Brand Director, Product Designer, Product Photographer, Photo Editor

Case Study: Designing the Visual Branding for Date Night

Overview
Date Night by The Adventure Challenge is a pre-planned date experience designed to encourage connection between couples. Each box contains 8–10 scratch-off cards that guide participants through every step of the evening, secret partner cards, and conversation prompts.

As the lead designer, I was tasked with creating the product’s visual branding, aligning the aesthetics with the experiential nature of the product while staying within specific constraints.

Blue box with the words "Date Night a progressive date experience" lays on a silk sheet. The lighting is moody and colored.
A product box titled Date Night Red Means Go: a progressive date experience sits on a white background product page, on Target.com, on a laptop screen on a laptop sitting on a desk
A blue product box with the words "Date Night a progressive date experience Five Senses" sits upright on a well-lit white background.
Three product boxes sit against a blue backdrop. A hand holds one of the boxes that is a red box. The other two boxes are light blue and indigo blue. Each box has ombre colored words that say "Date Night a progressive date experience."

Project Goals

The primary goal was to design a visually appealing product that creates an emotional and tactile “wow factor” during the unboxing process, evokes the theme of the specific date night through color and design, stays within the constraints of a small, budget-friendly cardboard box.

Design Process

I wanted the Date Night box itself to serve as the first chapter of the date experience. Drawing from my personal love for products that evoke a strong first impression, I designed the box to include a die-cut circle on the front, revealing a visually compelling scene underneath, a colorful ombré gradient inspired by the emotional themes of the dates.

Testing and Iteration
To refine the designs in collaboration with my colleagues, we conducted A/B testing with online audiences to identify the most compelling color palettes, collaborated with suppliers to develop and review Pantone samples, CMYK sheets, and die-cut alignments, iterated through multiple rounds of sample feedback to ensure the design aligned perfectly with the functional aspects of the product.

Impact

The final product has been well-received by customers. The success of Date Night is underscored by its adoption by major retailer Target, where it is now available both in-store and online.

In addition to designing the visual branding, I captured and edited the product photography featured on The Adventure Challenge’s product webpage and Target.com’s retail page. This contributed to the product’s cohesive presentation and strong first impression for customers.

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