Where Tech Meets Art: Tivora Studios Set to Make Product Packaging Design Accessible and Affordable

Written by Adetola Oladimeji

Entrepreneur: Valerie (Toritse) Tuedor

Industry: Design?

Product name: Tivora Studios

BFN Program: BFN Smart Start 2024

The mind-blowing fact that people spent over 60 million hours watching unboxing videos in 2023 (on YouTube alone) means just one thing: unboxing is a growing trend in e-commerce. But sadly, not many small businesses can get up to speed, either for lack of creative ideas or resources, or both. Most retail startups settle for basic packaging solutions and miss out on the opportunity to evoke an emotional response – and, by extension, loyalty – from consumers.?

Toritse Tuedor ’s Tivora Studios bridges this gap, and its approach is as simple as it is effective. It provides entrepreneurs with a self-serve tool to generate creative ideas that they can customize to suit their brand and stir anticipation and excitement among their customers.?

Designing Since Birth

When Toritse Tuedor started doodling early, the signs of her natural artistry were there—she loved to play with colors, sketch, and paint. Her parents spotted the potential and enrolled her in private art classes to nurture her talents. By 16, Toritse’s artwork had grown so well that friends, family, and almost everyone wanted them as gifts! So, it became a fitting choice when she chose the User Experience Design and Front-End Development concentration for her Digital Enterprise Management degree at the University of Toronto. She has since worked in product design and web development, reaching deep into her artistic bag for the most creative ways to make each project stand out.

Born in Canada to Nigerian parents, Toritse Tuedor ’s designs always reflect the vibrancy of the African culture. Her story is an inspiring example of how childhood creativity can turn into an entrepreneurial vision if nurtured right. Once a 6-year-old with fingers smudged with colors, she has grown into a visionary artist, recognizing her talent as a tool to grow businesses through captivating design. Her talent evolved into a passion, and her passion into an idea that has now taken flight as Tivora Studios.

Tivora Studios Leverages Tech and Art

In a 2022 survey, 61% of consumers said they would repurchase an expensive product if it came in premium packaging, while 7 out of 10 consumers admitted that product packaging informs their decision to patronize a brand2. Customer expectations have evolved over the years, and the demand for better packaging decisions is on the rise. However, the packaging landscape is dominated by minimalism, but understated designs often fade into the background.?

Toritse Tuedor ’s Tivora Studios challenges the minimalist norm with a creative mantra for product packaging that stuns, inspires, and leaves a lasting impact. She believes creative packaging can be an invaluable tool for growing a brand. Moreover, Tivora Studios is founded on the principle of sustainability. It promotes less waste and safer consumption by using only eco-friendly materials.

In addition, Tivora Studios aims to leverage an integrated ecosystem that optimizes the entrepreneur’s package design journey from ideation to creation. While emphasizing meaningful, relatable packaging that excites buyers, the platform will also ease the process by maximizing time and costs. This means a business owner with or without prior design experience can generate creative ideas, personalize them to suit their brand image, and order them as physical packages – all on Tivora Studios.?

Toritse Tuedor ’s creative vision for Tivora Studios also leverages innovative print technology, such as smart labeling, 3D designs, Augmented Reality (AR) and QR codes for promotion and feedback, and sensors that provide real-time information on product status as they travel from producers to customers.?

What Tivora Studios can do for Entrepreneurs

Tivora Studios is an opportunity for SME owners to tap into the immense benefits of creative packaging without being held back by minimalist ideas or minimal resources. Unique packaging drives instant recognition and customer engagement, giving your brand a competitive edge. Similarly, adopting Tivora Studios’ innovative packaging gives you access to reliable insights about your brand product performance. For example, you can analyze your best-performing products using embedded scannable codes to discover where your brand enjoys high customer acceptance. With such information, you can make data-driven decisions and tailor your marketing efforts to meet the needs of your most valuable customers.

Toritse is making efficient packaging solutions more accessible to entrepreneurs on Tivora Studios. Brands can now enhance the customer unboxing experience, integrate promotions, and elevate their overall market performance, all without breaking the bank.?

What Growth Looks Like

Since Toritse conceived the idea for Tivora Studios in 2021, she has taken bold steps to nurture it into reality. She said, "[the] journey began with designing and creating websites for individuals, and I aspired to expand their brand beyond digital elements to include physical aspects of their businesses."?

With the support of the Black Founders Network, Toritse is currently building an integrated platform where SMEs can leverage the easy-to-use and eye-catching brand packaging designs and connect with manufacturers who can bring the designs to life in quick turnarounds. But she has an even bigger goal – to expand the studio operations and establish subsidiary design agencies and manufacturing plants soon.

Business owners interested in testing the platform can contact Toritse via her LinkedIn .?