Marketing & Design
Internship at Albert Heijn.
Assisted the Marketing & Design team in developing innovative, attractive, and strategically aligned packaging designs for Albert Heijn’s own-brand products. Contributed to design decision-making, supported marketing initiatives, and helped coordinate team activities across departments.
Collaborated cross-functionally to ensure cohesive brand communication. In parallel, conducted independent research on the positioning, promotion, and visual identity of vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based product lines—providing insights to enhance category design strategy.
Role/ Packaging Design & Graphic Design
Duration/ 2020 - 2021, 7 Months
01 . Vega(n) packaging
For Albert Heijn’s Marketing Design department, I conducted research into the packaging of the supermarket’s vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based private-label products. Using literature research, surveys, and interviews, the study explored why consumers choose (or do not choose) these products and how packaging can better support their decisions.
Findings show that sustainability is the main driver: consumers increasingly select plant-based options for environmental and animal-welfare reasons and appreciate clear communication about these benefits. While the assortment of alternatives is extensive, packaging often lacks strong visibility compared to A-brands and is frequently described as basic or unclear. Consumers value category segmentation and green vegan shelf labels, though many still struggle to distinguish between vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based products at a glance.
Overall, the research highlights opportunities for Albert Heijn to improve clarity, visibility, and sustainability messaging on packaging, making plant-based choices easier and more appealing for customers.
02 . Sustainability logo
In this ongoing project, my role was to design a sustainability logo system for all own-brand packaging, aimed at communicating key environmental benefits to consumers. I created more than 50 logo concepts highlighting aspects such as recyclability percentages, reduced plastic usage, and material savings. Due to a signed NDA, only early exploratory designs can be shared, but the project significantly strengthened my skills in visual communication, information clarity, and designing for sustainability within brand guidelines.
03. From briefing to design
Beyond conducting research, I was involved in a range of additional tasks that broadened my understanding of packaging and retail design. From writing design briefings to supporting the development and review of packaging, creating pack shots, and designing shelf layouts, I gained hands-on experience across multiple stages of the process. These responsibilities deepened my insight into packaging design, shelf communication, promotion, and consumer behavior, and strengthened my ability to translate strategic insights into practical, visually effective design solutions.