November 28, 2007 · Number 23
DESIGN: Design North Wins Three 2007 Graphic Design Awards for Three BrandsDesign North won several awards at the 2007 American Graphic Design Awards. These awards include packaging designs for ABB Software, Birds Eye Foods Signature Seafood, and InSinkErator Hot Water Dispensers.
The American Graphic Design Awards, sponsored by Graphic Design USA, is an annual competition that is entering its 45th year. It is among the most selective, as over 10,000 entries were submitted this year.
Design North helped ABB Software (shown here) introduce the latest versions of their robotic manufacturing software to the business-to-business manufacturing community. Design North has helped ABB with these new product packages for over 10 years.
The challenge for Birds Eye Foods was to develop a premium look for this new line that would get attention in the club store environment and inspire consumers, through appealing photography and the assurance of the Birds Eye brand, to give it a try. Design North developed the Signature Seafood subbrand, created the packaging graphics and shot the photography.
With InSinkErator Hot Water Dispensers, the task was to create a packaging system for their international markets. Photography was important to help build category awareness and communicate product benefits. Ultimately, the package carried eight different languages.
Wallace Church Creates Calorie-Conscious Line Extension for Salad DressingOver the years, family-run Ken’s Foods has maintained its reputation for providing quality dressings with robust flavors. While Ken’s Foods does offer a variety of lighter-fare dressings, none has strayed from the original steak house heritage.
Ken’s asked the Wallace Church design firm in New York City to develop an upscale line extension to target calorie-counting consumers. Wallace Church developed the name—Lite Accents—to immediately reinforce the calorie and portion control benefits of the product. Photography of fresh salads engages the consumer and elicits the promise of the brand’s flavorful reputation.
The Lite Accents brand mark links back to the Ken’s Steak House seal found on the rest of the line, while striking color accents aid in shop-ability. The free-flowing type of the flavor descriptor captures the essence of this more vibrant, healthier alternative to conventional dressing.
Thermafuse and Joni Rae Russell Score Silver at 2007 Creativity AwardsThermaFuse Healthier Hair With Heat was selected as this year’s Silver winner of the Creativity Award. The Award honors ThermaFuse for their “Plug In” print advertising campaign.
The campaign was launched to the beauty trade in 2007 and communicates to print readers the ThermaFuse strategy: “Before you blow dry or heat style, use ThermaFuse to protect and repair hair from heat.”
ThemaFuse CEO Van Stamey says, “The ThermaFuse team is delighted to have won this prestigious award. It’s a terrific honor which further validates our strategic direction.” The campaign was executed by Joni Rae and Associates (JRA), their Los Angeles-based marketing, PR, media, and creative firm. “Ad testing revealed that the ThermaFuse message would be best conveyed through a forceful, eye-catching presentation,” says Joni Rae Russell, principal at Joni Rae and Associates. “The strategy was to reach beyond traditional beauty ad concepts, and grab readers’ attention within a cluttered magazine environment — where beautiful models and product photos are the norm. By using an intrusive, unconventional visual and clever, crisp phrasing, the ad tested high among stylists in the qualitative study.”
The Creativity Awards was created in conjunction with Art Direction magazine and the Creativity Awards Annual, which was one of the first books to showcase leading-edge design from across America.
WEBINAR: Designing for SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING Webinar
December 5, 2007, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern TimeREGISTER HERE
This special two-and-a-half hour sustainability webinar will feature up-to-date insights into the market forces affecting package design and sustainability. Package Design Magazine and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition are cohosting the event.
This program will probe the real meaning of sustainability as it applies to package design professionals. We’ll explore the issues and concerns from several perspectives—the state of the industry, consumer perspectives, marketing strategies, regulatory issues, and spotlighted success stories. One highlight of the program will be a thorough discussion of “systems thinking,” where sustainable design really begins and ends, by Curt McNamara. Another highlight is the Package Design columnist and longtime sustainability advocate Wendy Jedlicka, who will tell you how to get the sustainable message out, and how to tie all your efforts together.
NOTICE: The first 300 free registrations have been taken. The cost is now $89.99. All those who register AND attend the webinar receive the 104-page Design Guidelines for Sustainable Packaging (a $35 value, produced by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition).
Speakers include, among others: ANNE JOHNSON, Sustainable Packaging Coalition; MARTHA LEFLAR, Sustainable Packaging Coalition; DR. ELISE L. AMEL, University of St. Thomas; DR. CHRISTIE MANNING, Center for Global Environmental Education; DR. PAMM SMITH, University of Minnesota; GARTH T. HICKLE, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; CURT MCNAMARA, o2 Global Sustainable Design Network; WENDY JEDLICKA, Jedlicka Design Ltd.; SCOTT BALLANTINE, Microsoft.
STRUCTURE: Valois Sampling Introduces New Portable Design at Luxe Pack Monaco
Valois Sampling presented its new EasyLine concept at Luxe Pack Monaco in October. EasyLink launches a new concept with its Easy Cap and Easy Spray samples. A special collection of 50 unique pieces create a new link between perfume and chic. EasyLink helps portable accessories work in complicity with brands to ensure impact and make their communication campaigns stand out.
SUSTAINABILITY: Nature’s Path Offers Greener Ways to Start the Day With Eco-Pacs and EnviroBoxesWhen it comes to preserving resources and protecting the environment, Nature’s Path Organic Foods, North America’s number one organic cereal brand, is thinking outside the box. Committed to sustainability, the company is offering many of their cereals in innovative, eco-friendly packaging alternatives—Eco-Pacs and EnviroBoxes—that benefit the environment as well as the customer.
“We are committed to sustainability and showing leadership through constant innovation, efficiency and waste reduction,” said Arran Stephens, president and founder of Nature’s Path Organic Foods. “The EnviroBox and Eco-Pac are a natural move for us as a leader and innovator in our industry. If there are ways for us to reduce our packaging without compromising product quality or consumer value, we will always strive to be the first to bring it into the marketplace.”
Thirteen of Nature’s Path’s cereals, including the three EnviroKidz cereals, are offered in Eco-Pacs. The bulk packages are made from number four plastic, which is recyclable in many regions across the country. Eco-Pacs use 66% less packaging than traditional cereal boxes and use no cardboard.
In an effort that began in 2004 with the conversion of 12 cereals to EnviroBox packaging, Nature’s Path strengthened its commitment to sustainability in June 2007 when the company began to resize an additional 50 regular sized cereal boxes to EnviroBoxes. With no reduction of cereal for the consumer (same net weight), this reduces the packaging by 10%.
Cereplast Has First Sustainable Polypropylene, Called Biopropylene™Cereplast, Inc. is a manufacturer of proprietary bio-based sustainable plastics that has launched a new family of resins—Cereplast Hybrid Resins™. The new resins will complement Cereplast's existing line of compostable resins—Cereplast Compostables™, expanding market applications for Cereplast resins.
Cereplast Hybrid Resins, also known as Biopolyolefins™, replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins with bio-based materials such as starches from corn, tapioca, wheat, and potatoes, and have nearly the same physical characteristics and price point as traditional polyolefin. Polyolefins have the largest market share of any synthetic polymers, representing more than 250 billion pounds globally. Cereplast Hybrid Resins can enhance sustainability in by replacing traditional petroleum-based plastic in multiple categories, including automotive, consumer electronics, toys, medical, entertainment packaging, furniture, cosmetic packaging, consumer goods, and construction. For more, visit www.cereplast.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: PIA/GATF, SGIA, and FTA Create the ‘Sustainable Green Printing Partnership’
The Board of Directors of the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) passed a major Key Initiative concerning sustainability during its last Board Meeting. As a result, PIA/GATF has joined with the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) to form one central location for information on sustainable, or “green,” printing activities.
The importance placed on the level of a company’s “environmental-friendliness” has increased dramatically over recent years. Many printers are facing a growing number of inquiries regarding sustainable printing practices, and according to a recent survey conducted by PIA/GATF, over 90 percent of printers believe that their customers will require green printing in the future. In an effort to assist the printing community in this push for sustainability, PIA/GATF and its partners have established the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership).
The SGP Partnership is comprised of volunteer print leaders and other key players from each of the three associations. The project is being led by Gary Jones, director of environmental health and safety affairs for PIA/GATF. “Mr. Jones is known as an expert in his field and works extensively with various government agencies on environmental health and safety issues,” says Michael Makin, president and CEO of PIA/GATF.
Jones believes PIA/GATF needs to play a prominent role in the green movement of the printing industry. “We are on the cusp of a fundamental change in the way printers will be doing business in the foreseeable future,” Jones explains. “This initiative will give printers the tools they need to respond to the market and demonstrate their continued commitment to protecting the environment through sustainability.” For more information, go to www.sgppartnership.org.
xpedx Goes Live With New Website, Acquires Fidelity Container Corp.The xpedx.com marketing site, gateway to one of the largest B2B portals on the Internet, has been restructured, rewritten, and redesigned to provide visitors an at-a-glance understanding of the company’s breadth and depth of services. Any person seeking information about the distribution company—including the 15,000 registered users who transact business through its B2B portal—now have a content-rich, easy-to-navigate point of entry to xpedx online catalogs and procurement tools.
“We organized xpedx.com so it focused on our customers’ business needs, segmenting the information by industry,” says David Wallace, director of Customer Service and eBusiness for xpedx. “Our registered users can still access the B2B site directly, but we hope they’ll choose to enter through xpedx.com to stay informed about the xpedx offering which continues to evolve.”
xpedx.com targets six core business segments: printers and publishers, manufacturers, building service contractors, in-house facility maintenance providers, retailers and the U.S. government. Visitors in each business segment can then explore other services that will help them gain efficiencies. In its first four days of use, xpedx.com users initiated 65,000 page views. Thousands downloaded information about xpedx environmental programs, including the company’s Getting Started Kit for U.S. printers seeking chain-of-custody certification to the SFI and FSC standards. Other highly downloaded content included an introduction to green cleaning for building service contractors and facility maintenance providers.
International Paper, xpedx’s parent company, also today announced it has completed the acquisition of Fidelity Container Corporation, a leading U.S. independent packaging distributor. Fidelity Container, which will operate as a business unit under xpedx, provides value-added, custom designed packaging and related supplies, and is a full service provider of contract packaging and logistics services. “This combination is an exciting opportunity for International Paper, xpedx and our customers,” says Tom Kadien, International Paper senior vice president and president of xpedx.
|
COMPASS is an online software tool for packaging designers and engineers to compare the environmental impacts of their package designs.
