Welcome back 1800Baskets.com readers,
The one day you have to let your dads have their way (and sadly the remote and choice of music selection) is finally over! (Well, officially that is). I hope you all had a great holiday though, and are ready to get back into the swing of things with our task at hand. This week we are jumping head first into learning all about gift baskets! (If you have any noise makers or those confetti poppers, now would be the appropriate time to use those).We’re going to delve into a behind-the-scenes look in an interview with our very own in-house designer, Basia. (Pronounced: Bah-see-ah). Don’t forget to stick around at the end for a gourmet gift basket give-away!
Taste of Tradition Gift Basket
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, “don’t you just put some food in a basket and slap a bow on it?” Well dear readers, we would all be extremely wrong about that (and a little hasty I might add) also, that is mostly just describing an unnecessarily decorated picnic. Gift baskets are definitely more complicated than that. There is a distinct art and procedure to them that I never even knew existed. Go ahead and try to make your own gourmet gift basket, I’ll wait…Done yet? Probably having troubles with a floppy bow, I bet. It’s always the bow. Well, you made a good effort at least. (Please, come back!)
There really is so much more to our gift baskets than you would expect. Every little detail has an entire team dedicated to making it perfect for our customers, from the kind of basket or container we use, choosing which products go best together, right down to that pesky bow. And we have the perfect person at the head of our team, who is always one step ahead of the crowd. Sitting with Basia is a treat, especially when you see how every part of her exudes style. With thick, trendy hair and a quick smile, Basia is truly one of a kind when it comes to design. A former architect in Poland, she came to us here at 1800Baskets.com about 10 years ago to put her talent to much-appreciated use. Her architectural training is evident in her masterfully crafted gift baskets that are both visually and structurally balanced, as well as beautiful. After sitting with Basia for a good, long talk about just how our creative designers work, I’m happy to share with all of you this crash course in Gourmet Gift Basket Designing 101!
What does a Gift Basket Designer do?
I’ve been a basket designer here since 2001. It’s part of my job to come up with the concept, look and use of the gift basket. I look at the internet, trends, what’s on top that season, color, fabrics, anything we can use. The container (an insider’s term for gift basket) is my vehicle. We’ll design particular gift baskets from scratch or based on directions from clients and then we create and perfect their desired gift, so that it meets their price point, fill (what’s in the basket like Fannie May Chocolates, Cheryl’s cookies, and hundreds of other choices), color and style.
What inspires you?
Everything inspires me, from magazines, pictures, and fashion shows …especially fashion shows because of the color trends and the subjects we can use from them. However you dress connects to how and what you buy. It’s your way and what you like; colors, patterns, it says something about you. So when we create these gift baskets, we want these gifts to reflect you. We want our gift baskets to be reflective of what you would choose if you had the time to build a gift basket yourself. Of course, there are many options from hundreds of gift basket companies, but a gift basket from 1800Baskets.com is certain to reflect well on you and be reflective of your taste and style, and make a great impression on your family and friends.
What is your creative process like?
There is a group voice. The design room team works on everything together. We always try to have something on top and new for those people who like looking around. We look for trends but we also have classic customers who are important to us. It’s important that everyone must be able to find something, and the group dynamic helps with that. We work as a group to be able to find these things. We go through check-points of evaluations and critiques, to make sure the finished gift basket is perfect in every way both in terms of taste and style— right down to the gorgeous hand-tied bow.
What is your favorite product material to use?
I love to use brands; it gives the gift a particular character and meaning. For example, I think Godiva® is elegant; it’s a world-renowned brand and is instantly recognizable. Whatever we use in our baskets, you know that it is part of our favorite materials because we are the ones who test it, eat it, and discuss it. We discuss everything from texture, and flavor, to aftertaste, and then we build. We will even call the product manufacturers and ask if they could change an ingredient if the product is too sweet or too bitter. We work on every single component that goes into these gourmet gift baskets. Everything is tested by us and whatever is in the baskets, is something that personally recommend.
What makes a gift basket complete?
It’s not only about look, shape, or cost. A gift basket is complete if all the elements and products work together. For example, a summer picnic basket can’t have cocoa. It could look good with other items, but who would drink cocoa in July? We’re supposed to have harmonious components like pretzels, dips, napkins, wine, two glasses, and of course dessert. The gift basket is only complete when we make sure that everything works together.
What has been your favorite gift basket to work on?
Last season, we had a huge, oversized trunk gift basket. It was an elegant box with lots of colors, delicious foods, and high-quality wine, everything was usable and of excellent quality. The trunk had a retro design, was reusable and could be put in any kind of room afterwards as truly tasteful décor. I was pleased that the item was exceedingly popular online and was sold out quickly. A lot of gift basket companies claim that they are the “best value” but it’s good to look deeper because you might be getting a lot of packaging and not a lot of food and the container might be more like a painted milk jug and not at all reusable or worth the price. Our gift baskets aren’t the least expensive but we believe they are by far the real best value because they offer a lot of food and high-quality, hand-crafted gift basket made from real willow, woven wood and even sturdy metal, all of which are reusable.
How do you choose the materials you want to use?
We base creations on certain directions and goals. With Happy Birthday and Picnic gift baskets, we have typical materials that we use, but we also work on how to make it visually interesting. The occasions help us focus on particular, relevant components. We have colors in mind when holidays come up, usually bright colors that make people happy, or capture the spirit of summer, etc. Or when we have Sympathy gift baskets, where we use less bright, more muted and understated colors. Whatever we make, we have to try to find the right combination of color and food to express how we would want to feel/what we would want to receive on those occasions.
What styles do you see coming up for future gift baskets?
Trend plays a very big part in what we do. We never want our gift baskets to appear dated or out of fashion, so we’re always incorporating new colors, patterns, and textures so our gift baskets feel stylish and relevant. Every year we have a special meeting to refresh our work, we check with buyers, and there is always a big emphasis on the classics. But there will also always be something different too. I like different. It’s worth it to design fun, individual looks. Our customers like being recognizable, they like to stand out. If they can find what they really like, that’s the best thing to me. We can’t have the same gift basket every year with just a different ribbon. We have to be brave and be on the forefront with our designs.
What is something that people may not know about the gift baskets process?
People don’t realize what a long process it is. We don’t just change products, we even change recipes, artwork, designs, everything. We’ll put things together and I think it’s nice since I’m working on it, but then we get into a review meeting and changes and suggestions are made; other people point out things I never noticed before because I’ve spent so much time on the design. I was just too close to it. Every gift basket we design belongs to the whole team because it’s a team effort. We work as a group, and we are always working to make each gift basket better. It takes weeks and months to get the final gift baskets complete. We have large teams that work on every single item, (food buyers, packaging designers, faux finish artists, ribbon buyers, graphic designers, food stylists, a photographer and more) because every detail creates a larger picture that eventually becomes our customer’s gourmet gift basket that they feel proud to send to their family and friends. To us, that’s what success is all about. And our process plays a big part in it.
Quick Questionnaire
Favorite amusement park ride: My plan is to try a rollercoaster since I’ve avoided it before.
___________ is the perfect gift: Anything food related, preferably with a little bit of everything; some sweets and savories.
Favorite food: Mediterranean, especially anything with seafood.
Currently watching: Dancing with the Stars.
Talent you would most like to have: To be musically inclined.
Last book read: Gone with the Wind. Good for relaxing my mind.
Earlier I promised a gourmet gift basket give-away, and I do intend to keep my word. To participate for a chance to win, I would love to know what you all think. We know now that gift basket designing takes literally months of planning, research and development, but in a paragraph or two below, let us know what you thought about this Q&A session and describe what would be in YOUR perfect gift basket! We will select ONE winner next week, who will get to select the gourmet gift basket of their choosing from our ‘Gift Baskets’ category!
