Product Designer
Macpac X Project
Essentia
TEAM
TIMELINE
SKILLS
2025 / PRODUCT DESIGN
As eco-conscious consumerism grows, so does the wave of greenwashing, with companies making surface-level sustainability claims to win over thoughtful buyers. Consumers are unsure who to trust and increasingly turn to reputable brands with proven values like Macpac, which stands out for its durability, performance, and a genuine commitment to sustainability.
Project Essentia focused on reimagining an existing product – the Para’Kito band – which is marketed as natural and eco-friendly. Despite this, it falls short in key areas. My redesign fully embodies the values Para’Kito aspires to: mosquito protection accessory offering greater performance, value, and environmental integrity.
Macpac stocks Para’Kito which is currently the most sustainable high-performance option on the market. I saw an opportunity to refine Essentia’s form, materials, colour palette, and functionality to better align with Macpac’s design language and ethos, imagining a version that conceptually fits more naturally within their product line than Para'Kito, maintaining trust with their customers.
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This project is a speculative redesign created as part of a job application. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or commissioned by Macpac. All brand names, trademarks, and imagery belong to their respective owners and are used here for educational and illustrative purposes only.
The Original Design
DISCOVER
Project Essentia was my university capstone project: a complete redesign of the Para’Kito mosquito repellent band – a product currently stocked by Macpac – to make it more sustainable, durable, and user-friendly. The outcome was a versatile and eco-conscious accessory that I could easily imagine Macpac producing and selling.
I identified several key issues with the original Para’Kito band:
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Materials: The band and pellet are made from neoprene and silicone, materials that are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable.
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Design: The band is bulky, with customer reviews indicating that it falls off often and the velcro wears out.
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Price: The product includes 6 different textiles, which increases material and assembly costs.
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Packaging: The packaging uses multiple instances of single-use plastic and is not space-efficient for stacking during distribution.
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Given Macpac’s focus on sustainability, reliability, and longevity, I believed my redesign offered a stronger alignment with their values and customer expectations. I refined Essentia’s visual language to better reflect Macpac’s established aesthetic and ethos, creating a product that could conceptually fit within their product line.
Moodboard
DISCOVER
After scouring the Macpac website and social media platforms, I collated a few images that I found inspiring. The main things I was looking for were:
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Colour combinations, patterns, and motifs.
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Overall form and shape.
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Design details and hardware, including zips, stitching, trim, clips, and straps.
Imagery sourced from Macpac for concept development only.​
Defining the Macpac Aesthetic
DEFINE
Using the insights from the moodboard and online research, I compiled a list of some adjectives in a word cloud that define the Macpac aesthetic:
Refining the Pellet Design
DEVELOP
When refining the pellet’s aesthetic, I did some 2D sketches to quickly experiment with some designs on the top profile. Some of the key things I was looking to achieve were:
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Simplicity in the form and overall design, while still maintaining functionality.
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Sensible and logical logo/branding placement that is consistent with other Macpac products.
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Incorporating design details that are drawn from other Macpac products to ensure brand alignment.
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Consideration of the pellet design in all orientations, as it changes depending on whether it is being used with the band or being clipped and hung independently.
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Refining the Band Design
DEVELOP
When refining the band’s aesthetic, similarly to the pellet, I made some 2D edits of the original band design. Some of the key things I was looking to achieve were:
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Maintain simplicity in the overall aesthetic while still incorporating Macpac branding.
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Maintain the existing recyclability by keeping all parts made from the same material (nylon).
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Developing a Colour Palette
DEVELOP
When creating a colour palette, I aimed to develop a variety of colour combinations that encapsulate the feeling of summer, look cohesive with the pellet colour, and match the Macpac aesthetic.
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Final Design
DELIVER
I chose this band design as it is sleek, classic, and simple to match the Macpac brand. The design features and decisions are purposeful rather than just for aesthetics.​
I chose this pellet design as it is narrower than the original, in turn making for a narrower, less bulky band. The bumps inside the clip are unnoticeable aesthetically for a clean look but still allow for grip on fabric when worn.
Conceptual visualisation using Macpac brand imagery for demonstration purposes only. All rights reserved by Macpac.