Every year millions of people celebrate the biggest achievement of their young lives. After four years of hard work, they finally walk across the stage as college graduates. Although the current pandemic has interrupted the usual festivities, it’s still a very important time for the graduates. In lieu of a ceremony, universities and colleges need a way to connect with their new alumni before they head off to start their careers. It’s important to leave a lasting impression that encourages them to engage with their alma matter down the road.
A student that leaves college on a positive note is far more likely to participate in alumni events and mentorship programs. Prospective students look at this engagement and see what a positive experience your institution has to offer.
Now you’re probably reading this and wondering “Can a custom packaging company really provide all of that?” The answer is: no, we cannot. That’s accomplished through years of shared experience. But we can help you send the perfect final parting gift on what’s sure to have been an incredible journey.
Instead of sending a boring package with students’ diplomas, we want to help you create a personalized care package. We’ll walk you through the steps to create a beautiful, customized graduation kit.
You’ll want to build your graduation kit from the inside out. The first step is to choose the items you want to put inside, and the first piece is the easiest… the diploma. Most years students receive these as they walk across the stage, but this year you will want to deliver it in style.
Next you’ll want to fill out the rest of your care package with a couple pieces of swag. We recommend including things people will use in day to day life. Aim for quality over quantity. Throw away Knick knacks aren’t going to provide a memorable experience to anyone.
Choosing Your Swag
Water Bottles
Water Bottles are pretty standard, but people are avoiding single use containers at all costs, so a good one can come in handy. The key here is to get one that people will use. Anything vacuum insulated is usually a safe bet.
Branded Clothing
Any recent graduate has an abundance of college gear, but most of it is t-shirts they wear on Sunday mornings. If you really want them to wear your school colors loud and proud, go with a quarter-zip. This gives your alumni something they can proudly wear at their new jobs.
Office Essentials
Starting a new chapter in your life can be daunting but having office essentials can ease your stress. Notebooks and planners may seem boring, but they are some of the most useful give-a-ways you can receive. If you want to go a little more outside the box, desktop coffee warmers are very popular right now.
Unique Inserts for Perfect Presentation
After you’ve decided what you want to gift your departing students, it’s time to build your box. Whether you have no idea what you want, or you have a clear vision of what your care package should look like, our design team can help bring it to life. The most important part of creating your college graduation kit is crafting a custom insert that will both keep its content secure and displays it in a way that wows the recipient.
Think of that first moment when your recent graduate gets their graduation kit in their hands. There is already a ton of anticipation building for the moment they finally get their diploma. Marking the end of a long journey. When they open the package, if the diploma is loosely thrown in the box, they won’t spend another second interacting with it. But if you neatly present it in a custom insert, they’re more likely to take the time to appreciate the graduation kit and share it with friends and classmates.
Please reach out to one of our helpful customer service reps about the possibilities of creating custom box inserts to fulfill your vision. You’d be amazed by what our experienced packaging engineers can create out of cardboard.
Designing an Interactive Outer Box
The next step in the process is designing an outer box that creates an engaging unboxing experience. This is where you’ll place personal messaging to the recipients. A graduation kit really demands the use of two-sided print. A common design trend is keeping the outside of the box simple; a logo and your school colors. That gives them a hint of what they’re getting without giving away the big reveal.
The space on the inside cover is perfect for delivering a personal message to your graduates. Our variable print technology lets you customize the message to the program, the major, or even the student. A care package will never feel more personal.
Another concept we love to see is boxes designed to inspire interaction. Snapcodes are custom codes similar to QR codes that let Snapchat users download custom Snap Filters. Your graduates can use these filters and tags to share their graduation kit with the world.
Outside of social media you can also use regular QR codes to link to virtual goodbye videos or graduation speeches. Just because they aren’t there in person doesn’t mean they can’t watch the school president and guest speakers give them a proper sendoff.
Graduation Kit Fulfillment
The most tedious part of sending graduation kits is having to pack each one by hand. Schools aren’t exactly set up to assemble, pack, and ship hundreds of kits, but BuyBoxes is. If you don’t have the people at the ready to pack out graduation kits or most of your staff is working from home, we can help. We are experienced in every facet of the order fulfillment process, from designing the boxes to assembly and shipping, BuyBoxes can be your go to partner. All we need is the product you need packed and the names and addresses of their recipients.
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