Lasting States of Bliss

By Christopher Lyons

At Package Design Magazine, we believe the solution to any problem can be found if you patiently examine the pertinent details. Little discomforts of life can turn into opportunities for innovation in packaging, and we hope to pass that outlook on to you, our readers, throughout this innovation-filled issue.

In today's packaging, convenience is the buzzword. If that gets your stomach churning with anxiety or anticipation or excitement, you'll appreciate the new easy-to-handle Tums package featured on our cover. GlaxoSmithKline, Hadtke Associates, and Wallace Church rethought every detail of this package to make it a completely comfortable and pleasing consumer experience.

The April issue is full of insights into the future of the pharmaceutical packaging industry, from the expansion of unit-dose packaging to the monitoring of temperature-sensitive drugs. Just how jam-packed depends on your definition of a pharmaceutical. Many would consider coffee and tea to be daily doses of a necessary pick-me-up that is more therapeutic than merely a mild stimulant. In our "Spotlights," you'll discover successful case studies of how coffee and tea companies are enlightening both new and loyal customers to the joys of imbibing their brews.

Inside you'll also discover more about the exceptional packaging that the Shorewood company is producing. Shorewood brought together a handful of their resources and production facilities to create one of the coolest CD box sets ever. The Nirvana "With the Lights Out" package has a number of striking elements that make it both initially enticing and enduringly striking.

Before you can discover that unique and efficient solution that spawns innovation, you have to understand all the problems you're trying to solve. Consumer research is a minumum requirement for nearly every new packaging innovation. Traditional focus groups don't always get to the core of the problem, so our "Ethnographic Study" article provides insights into learning how consumers really use packages in their lives.

The Package Design Magazine staff strives to find solutions to the daily challenges of packaging innovation and consumer convenience. Please feel free to share your innovations and insights with us.

Enjoy!

Chris Lyons
Publisher
clyons@lyonsmediainc.com