The No7 Christmas campaign was one of the largest projects of the year for Boots’ flagship beauty brand. Extensive pre-production and close collaboration across teams were essential to achieve the desired visual direction.
The set featured dozens of gift boxes wrapped in glossy red paper and finished with velvet ribbons — a sea of colour designed to evoke a festive sense of abundance. Each element was photographed separately and built into a clean, well-structured final composite, with neatly consolidated layers. This approach gave the artwork team maximum flexibility for last-minute layout changes and campaign adaptations.
To support a multi-channel rollout, the client required four aspect ratios: portrait, landscape, extreme portrait, and extreme landscape, ensuring consistent visual impact across in-store displays, online banners, and digital media.
The campaign was a strong commercial success. The final imagery elevated the product presentation both in-store and online, helping the No7 range stand out during a highly competitive shopping period and contributing to increased visibility and sales throughout the Christmas season.
1. Styling & Layout Development
The first step was styling the set to closely match the approved design. The boxes were arranged with the products positioned on top, anchored by a hero gold box at the centre. The composition was carefully built to showcase all products included in the set, with labels clearly visible and grouped into small clusters to create balance and flow. An initial pass was produced to establish the layout, hierarchy, and overall visual direction.
2. Background Base & Cleanup
The next stage focused on producing a clean background layer. The boxes were arranged to create space for the products, with the hero box integrated between the top layers. Due to the highly reflective paper and limited build time on set, many of the boxes appeared creased. Extensive retouching was required to smooth textures, remove kinks, and correct surface imperfections while preserving realism.
3. Background Refinement & Consistency
With the base established, the background was further refined. Boxes were cleaned, straightened, and unified in tone and texture. Select elements were duplicated and graded to ensure consistency across the set. This process resulted in a vibrant, distraction-free background that supported the composition and allowed the products to remain the focal point.
4. Product Integration & Artwork Updates
In the next stage, products were cut out and composited using multiple captures provided by the photographer on set. Several items required updated artwork, while others were retouched to improve legibility and colour accuracy. Realistic shadows were added to anchor the products within the scene and enhance depth, ensuring a natural and premium finish.
5. Final Polish & Delivery
The final pass focused on enhancing the overall mood and elevating the premium feel of the image. A vignette was introduced to create a subtle spotlight effect, with a light beam highlighting the hero product and gold box. Sparkling elements were added to reinforce the festive tone. The result was a refined Christmas campaign image that presented the No7 gift set at its best. Four aspect ratios were delivered, and fully layered files were supplied to the artwork team to allow flexibility for final copy and layout.
