Dusty Cactus Mac and Cheese Box Design

Project Type:

• Class Project

Programs Used:

• Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Procreat, Adobe illustrator

Project: Dusty Cactus Mac & Cheese Packaging

For this project, I designed a conceptual boxed packaging for Dusty Cactus, a Southwest-inspired mac and cheese brand. The design combines gritty textures, warm earth tones, and a bold typographic system with hand-drawn desert illustrations to create a sense of place and personality. The visual language embraces the spirit of the frontier—quirky, confident, and completely plant-based.

Methodology:
I started by researching vintage Western packaging, roadside Americana, and vegan food branding to find a unique visual overlap. Inspired by the vastness and unpredictability of the desert, I developed custom illustrations of cacti and landscape elements to give the box a tactile, location-driven identity. The layout balances clear communication with playful visual storytelling, wrapping nutrition facts and cooking instructions in a voice that feels fun and fearless—just like the food itself.