Clockwise up the stairs: Pete Booth, Corinne Elstow, Ian MacKay, Martin Bunce, Alan Whiting, Mark Watson, Alex Peacop, Wil Davis, Emma Johnson (behind the hoof), Johanna Tarkowski, Carl Fordham, Katie Moseley (not shown: John Lamb).

"Brands are stories masquerading as objects," says Martin Bunce, managing director of Tin Horse, in Marlborough, Wiltshire, U.K. Bunce is referring to the philosophy of the independently owned firm of designers and their experience in bringing "fast-moving consumer goods" to life on store shelves. "We use our expertise to articulate these stories in ways that are appropriate and appealing to the people being targeted to use the product," says Bunce of his team comprised of structural packaging design experts.

At its core, Bunce explains, Tin Horse aims to provide a "seamless process that takes creative thought into manufacturing reality." In other words, creative, inventive, and original solutions for package design are fundamentally connected to commercial viability--the successful interdependence of which is ultimately judged by the product's end user.

To reach this goal, Bunce says, "We work to make our ideas real and tangible as soon as possible." The parameters for technical and commercial applicability of package design are outlined directly up front in a project. That means working effectively with suppliers and manufacturers "at the earliest feasible point" in package design process. "We also encourage our clients to keep us involved right up to product launch and beyond," Bunce explains. "If nothing else, it ensures that they get the most from their up front investments in design."

"Our work may be in the world of fast-moving consumer goods, and our clients often Blue Chip global giants, but what we do boils down to the relationships we have with to individuals, and it's those relationships that ultimately deliver great projects," Bunce notes Important enough to reiterate, the ultimate driver behind the fast-moving consumer goods engine is the product consumer. "We continually explore ways in which we can work with our clients to help them find the insight that will resonate with their end-users, to connect with their worlds; this exploration becomes our springboards to great design solutions," says Bunce.