The MAAF Project

Read the campaign story

The MAAF Project used packaging to support a customary exchange when physical meetings were restricted during the pandemic. D&AD describes curated products from Indonesian brands with redesigned labels and space for a personal apology note around Eid. The published award results identify 6616 Creative House as the creator and Toko Kopi Tuku and Herbana as clients. The exact launch date is not established by these opened records.

Editorial interpretation: the design supplies a structure for a message that remains the sender’s to write. The product is a carrier and the blank space is a deliberate part of the communication. A multi-brand collection can give people choices while a shared design makes the occasion legible. The emotional value cannot be guaranteed by the object, however, because a meaningful apology depends on the relationship, the words and what happens beyond the gift.

The documented execution should not be read as proof that purchases repaired relationships or replaced in-person customs. The analysis does not recommend unsolicited contact, assume all recipients welcome gifts or treat forgiveness as something a brand can sell. Its transferable value is narrower: thoughtful packaging can make room for personal expression, provided commercial design does not prewrite the emotion or create pressure to respond.

Design the blank space as carefully as the printed message

Personalisation is not simply adding a name to finished advertising. Decide what the sender needs to express and how much guidance will help without making every note sound identical. A short prompt can reduce the difficulty of starting, while generous space lets the person choose their own meaning. Test the handwriting area, contrast and order of information with actual sample messages. Include an option to leave it blank. The brand should be a facilitator of expression, not the author of a statement that appears to come from someone else without their deliberate choice.

Give collaborating products a clear shared role

A collection can feel coherent through an occasion even when its products differ. Define the common promise and the boundaries each partner must respect: presentation, delivery information, ingredient disclosures and customer support. Do not let the shared visual identity hide which company is responsible for a problem. Consider whether every item makes sense as a gift and whether a lower-cost or no-purchase route should be available. Collaboration is stronger when the design explains the relationship among participants instead of merely putting several logos beside one another. Consistency should reduce uncertainty, not erase useful differences.

Avoid turning reconciliation into a transaction

A gift can accompany a message, but it should not imply that the recipient owes forgiveness. Review promotional language for that pressure and avoid measuring success through intimate relationship outcomes. Some people may prefer a private note, a conversation or no contact at all. Provide a way to write without buying and do not solicit personal accounts of conflict as campaign content. The ethical boundary also improves the creative work: the object can remain modest and useful rather than carrying an impossible promise that a purchase will resolve complex feelings or restore a damaged relationship.

A bounded test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a neighbourhood stationery collective could test an original, unbranded-on-the-front note sleeve for ordinary thank-you messages. Offer it free during a workshop alongside a plain card, with optional prompts and no requirement to send anything. Use fictional recipients for research and ask participants whether the format helps them find their own words or feels overly scripted. Keep the actual messages private and collect feedback about the design only. This tests the value of a structured writing space and coordinated presentation without asking people to disclose conflicts, make an apology or purchase a gift to earn someone’s response.

Measure ease of beginning a note, perceived freedom of expression, legibility and preference for a blank alternative. Do not inspect private message content or infer sincerity from length. Record whether brand presence distracts from the sender’s voice.

Stop if the design pressures contact or forgiveness, exposes private messages or presents a purchased object as a substitute for accountability.