Issue: September/October '04
 Cover
Story: At Anthem Worldwide,
Package Designers Are Strategic Thinkers
by Patrick Henry
The brand packaging firm that submitted the best-liked entry
in the first Package Design Makeover Challenge sees its craft
as a carefully arranged marriage of artistic inspiration and
systematic execution. Three top executives of Anthem Worldwide
explain why they believe strategic thinking is a winning formula
for all good package design. [more]
Package Design Makeover Challenge Yields a Winner And a Barrel
Full Of Great Design Ideas for Bilinski's
Teams of package designers from five creative groups submitted
fully developed proposals for revitalizing the look of Bilinski's
product lines. The entries were depicted in the July/August issue
of Package Design and presented in interactive 3D models on the
magazine's Web site, where readers and Web surfers could vote for
their favorite overall redesign. [more]
Market Review: Label Technology
by Noel Jeffrey
The change in scenery in supermarkets continues to accelerate due
to the increasing use of shrink sleeves, as well as high-style
pressure sensitives, and even customized and regionalized labels.
Pressure sensitive labels are being used for structural branding,
and shrink sleeve labels are attaining new levels of flare. [more]
Market Research: High Barrier Film
by Sharon P. Derbyshire
In 2003, there were 75 million pet cats and 60 million pet dogs
in the U.S. Although pet ownership is increasing at only about
1% annually, pet owners demanding higher quality pet food for their
beloved Fido or Fifi are fueling the pet food market, and pouches
in particular are driving the barrier film market. [more]
Profile: Graphic Packaging International
by M. Grace Maselli
A package is worth a thousand words, especially when you consider
the myriad behind-the-shelf considerations that affect a given
package's market presentation. Graphic Packaging International,
a leading full-service provider of paperboard packaging, leaves
no stone unturned when introducing new products to market. [more]
Five Principles for Package Design Research
by Scott Young
Marketers are interested in results at the point of sale, and many
are now attempting to numerically measure the performance of new
packaging. However, research disciplines and metrics used to assess
advertising executions may not translate into accurate assessments
of consumers' reactions to package design. [more]
Market Research: Shelf Impact Studies
by Carro Ford Weston
Retail usability research looks at the consumer decision-making
process to understand how a purchase is made at shelf level. A
number of research firms specialize in studying, tracking, measuring,
and analyzing the shelf impact of a product, and each continues
to refine its innovative and effective techniques. [more]
Global Trendsetters: China
by Christian Rommel
Foreigners who travel to China for a short time never get a representative
picture of the Chinese packaging market because of the sheer heterogeneity
of the products. Also, the complexity of the Chinese notion of "quality" is
quite un-western, and depends on individual—often changing—priorities
of consumers. [more]
Wow! What a Package
by David Luttenberger
Guys are easily amused by gadgets, especially when a gadget activates
a mechanism that sprays something flammable. The Gillette Co. took
this fact into account when developing its dome-top, lever-action,
energy-drink-mimicking package for its Right Guard Extreme Cool
Spray Rush deodorant. [more]
The Front Panel
by Marianne Klimchuk
In today's technologically accessible world, anyone with
the applicable software thinks he or she can replace an experienced
design professional. Package designers must rely on creative instincts,
training, and imagination to go beyond the tools of the day and
continue to create exciting and alluring packages. [more]
Packaging & Label Gravure Association Print Awards
The Packaging & Label Gravure Association Print Awards program
recognizes member printers and converters for outstanding achievement
in gravure printing. Judges look primarily at the quality of the
printing, paying particular attention to registration, color consistency
and overall print quality. [more]
Collegiate Awards: FIT
Robinson Paperboard Packaging, manufacturers of boxes and talc
shakers for a wide range of products, announced the winners of
the first annual Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Packaging
Awards competition on July 1. The three winning students each
received a cash award of $750 from Robinson. [more]
Countdown to Pack Expo
Package designers and marketers visiting PACK EXPO International
2004 this November 7-11 at Chicago's McCormick Place will
have the opportunity to review the year's most innovative
packaging designs from around the world and learn about the newest
advancements in packaging technology—all under one roof.
[more]
Spotlights
A look at the products, packages, and technologies making news
in a sampling of key packaging fields.
News
Design Community Mourns
Sudden Loss of John Fling [more]
| 