Don't Hide It. Period.

Don't Hide It. Period.

Client: NH1 Design
Design Company: NH1 Design
Creative Direction: Neha Tulsian
Design: Sukriti Sahni
Animation & Film: Nitin Shekhar
Photograph: Raghav Kumar
Social Media: Sukriti Sahni
Country: India

Menstruation is as natural a phenomenon as any, yet it is a matter of embarrassment in any conversation. 'Don't Hide It. Period' is a self-initiated campaign focused on changing mindsets about periods by reinventing the conventional sanitary pad packaging.

Sometimes, the message is just as important as the design. In this case, the message is the design. 

Women interact with sanitary pads every month, yet it lives hidden in our bathroom cabinets. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the packaging system can engage us in a conversation and encourage us to open up and talk about periods, without shame?

Packed in a reusable canvas bag, each pad carries a unique message that make periods a part of everyday conversation. The phrase 'don’t hide it' and the messaging derived around it was inspired from a simple insight – even in urban India, women are shy to ask for a pad. Even shopkeepers wrap sanitary pads in newspapers & black plastic bags. We used bold messages with a play on the word ‘Period’ that also means ‘an end to a statement where no further discussion is possible’.

300 million women in rural India do not have access to proper sanitary products. Myths & taboos such as 'don't enter the kitchen or temple, don't touch pickles, don't wash hair during periods', indicate menstruating women are unclean & impure, creating stigma. Sold exclusively on Nykaa.com – India's largest online beauty and wellness retailer – 100% sale proceeds were donated to a charity organization to help them set up a sanitary pad factory in Rajasthan, that will employ local rural women to manufacture and distribute sustainable, low cost sanitary napkins. 

We also created different channels of engagement to drive the message far and loud. The dedicated campaign website 'donthideitperiod.com' invited the community to join this conversation by writing their own message on a virtual sanitary pad. More such activities and challenges on social media garnered participation from women and men alike.

The initiative was featured in global design blogs and magazines across India, Pakistan, Australia and Hong Kong.
 The project has also won at Kyoorius Design Awards 2018 and was a Finalist at Lexus Design Award India 2019.