At times in print and promo, it can be easy to get bogged down in the business end of things, placing creativity and your artistic side on the back burner. But, sometimes, it’s crucial to step back and remember that at the heart of every good campaign is a bit of flair and out-of-the-box thinking.

Out-of-the-box thinking comes especially in handy even when the product is, quite literally, a box.

Enrique Perez, founder and president of Hitex Marketing Group (asi/515762), has seen the payoff from allowing his staff creativity when it comes to their packaging campaigns. He remembers one project that allowed them to not only think beyond normal design conventions but to go beyond the standard cardboard for an added environmental layer.

What started as a pretty standard packaging job for Johnnie Walker ended with the customer first asking for different materials to make the packaging more eco-friendly, and then even switching out inks. It got to a point where Perez and his team felt the best option was to fully do away with convention.

“What about getting rid of the box completely?” he asked. “And we did.”

The end-result was a bucket that used 50% wheat – sustainable packaging that became part of the gift, not just the wrapping.

Some promotional and print professionals might see roadblocks as problems, but Perez has always seen them as opportunities for growth or even opportunities to pursue creative avenues that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. When they were faced with the challenge of creating something environmentally friendly but also creative and affordable, Perez saw that as a chance to get better as a team.

“That’s a roadblock,” he says. “But that enables us to go ahead and keep growing and keep thinking and creating. So, I kind of love the roadblocks and I love it when a customer pushes us forward.”