licensed product development
CASE STUDY No. 3
Disney Cruise Line — Pulsar Products — Building a craft program from zero
packaging design
retail pitch
creative leadership
licensed product
Skus launched
20+ in year one
PROGRam status
built from zero
the packaging system
the situation
The program spanned three product tiers — premium pay-to-play kits, character-themed bulk crafts, and giveaway items — across six Disney and Pixar IP properties. Each product had to be approvable under Disney's licensing standards, manufacturable at scale, safe for guests of all ages, and experiential enough to be worth doing on a cruise. The packaging system developed became the visual identity of the entire program — consistent enough to read as a cohesive DCL craft line, flexible enough to adapt to Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story 5, Moana, and beyond.
Disney Cruise Line is one of the most brand-controlled environments in the entertainment industry. Every product that carries Disney IP goes through a rigorous approval process, operates within tight character and artwork guidelines, and has to meet the experiential standards of guests who have paid a premium to be on that ship. When we came in, DCL had no organized craft program. Guests could go in to random rooms on the boat and tables were filled with random crafts but nothing like an organized, systematic program that guests could make with their hands that carried the magic of the voyage home. We built that program in a year.
Client
Disney cruise line
"Disney had the most demanding brand standards in the world and no real craft program. We built one anyway — 20+ SKUs, 6 IP properties, one year."
what we built
The packaging was the hardest problem to solve. DCL needed something that felt premium, was functional as an activity box, communicated the craft inside clearly, and held up through the physical demands of shipboard life. I led the development of a packaging system built around a jute-handled box format — the box lid opens flat to become a work surface, custom inserts organize every component, and the design language carried Disney's brand equity while establishing Pulsar as the craft partner. This system became the template for every pay-to-play kit in the program.
misc. IP craft selections - DIY wood car, color in wood magnet, stickers, bracelet making kit, craft felt keychain
IP Properties
6+ franchises
Mickey Mouse String Art
Premium pay-to-play kit · Jute handle box · Custom bobbin · Rainbow string
Paint-by-Number Canvas
Mickey Mouse String Art
Premium pay-to-play kit · Jute handle box · Canvas
easel and paint
Premium pay-to-play kit · Jute handle box · Custom bobbin · string
packaging system design features
Mickey Head Yarn Wrapping
Every detail was intentional.
Premium pay-to-play kit · Jute handle box · Pre-Cut Wood • Yarn
Premium pay-to-play kit · Jute handle box · Wood base + die cut shapes + 6 paint pots
Painted Wood Wall Hanging
disney cruise line x pulsar products x 2025-2026
What this demonstrates
IP Coverage - Six Franchises
Every franchise required its own creative language — character artwork, color palettes, tone — while staying within Pulsar's manufacturing capability and DCL's brand guardrails. I art directed each franchise range, working with my designer Mahi to ensure every product felt authentically on-brand for its IP while cohesive as a DCL craft program.
Creative Leadership
This program was built with a team of two. As Senior Art Director, I led the creative direction and strategic decisions — which product types to develop, how to approach each IP, how to build the packaging system — while guiding the designer on my team through the execution of every presentation, every spec sheet, and every product rendering. Building 20+ SKUs across 6 IP properties in a year required a working relationship built on clear direction, high trust, and a shared vision of what we were trying to make.
This case study makes four things clear about how I operate at the director level.
