Across: Word Puzzle Kit is a puzzle box targeting adults. Across was designed with the intention of keeping the audience entertained within every inch of the box. Each piece of copywriting or graphic points them to a new mystery. The kit contains a guidebook, pencils and eraser, puzzle cards, and a binder.
By leaving Easter eggs around the box, the design allows the audience to explore the kit at their own pace to find the hidden compartment while still being able to enjoy the puzzles. Across aims to create a comforting yet intriguing environment for its audience and take the frustration out of the process of solving a puzzle.
“Across: Word Puzzle Kit” is a play on words: it is a crossword puzzle kit. The key visuals include the crossword puzzle grid and pedestrians walking across the box. The repetitive use of pedestrians representing the busy lifestyle of the target audience is juxtaposed by the calming color palette and static grid system on the product. These visual elements serve as a wayfinding system for users to explore around the box and find the hidden items inside. With messages being in every area of the design, this kit considers all the flows that a user might take in the process of using the product and makes sure that their experience is always enjoyable.
The package is fully filled with engaging graphics to lead users around the box. With the box itself being a puzzle, there are clues hidden in every inch of the package to guide users to the hidden compartment, where a binder is located. This box contains a guidebook, 2 sets of puzzle cards (crossword and word search), pencils and an eraser, and a hidden binder where users can save their solved puzzles. The box has 2 compartments, with one sitting on top of the other. The hidden compartment can only be accessed by using the slider on the box. Visual elements such as the crossword puzzle grid, the walking pedestrians, and arrows, and creative copywriting cohesively act as a wayfinding system for users to explore Across in its entirety.
