By Emma Woolbright, Traffic & Production Coordinator, Clemson University; Contributor, FLEXO Magazine’
A line of packages neatly arranged on long white tables. Glittering, bright, intriguing, and most often, beautifully simple. The folding cartons and rigid boxes in this year’s North American Paperboard Packaging Competition answered complicated customer needs with a quiet, nuanced simplicity. It was a pleasure to be a judge this year. Here are a few insights I gained.
Many of the most successful packages in the competition were able to break shelf dynamics through clean design, thoughtful use of value-added finishings, and storytelling. Their design choices were rooted in a clarity of thought that created boxes full of detail and story. Oftentimes, consumers only uncover those stories as they look closer—a perfect collaboration between the structural abilities of paperboard packaging and the creativity of its uses in marketing.
The design objective of creating an “unboxing experience” is still alive and well. Many entries unfolded like puzzles, blooming before our eyes. For example, the judges saw high-end gift boxes that, no doubt, would make consumers want to wait and open them on camera for the whole world to see.
There were also a few great examples of playful designs that expanded our idea of what a paperboard box can traditionally do. For example, a box that integrated elements of a boardgame that could transform a boring night inside into a game night outside; or a holiday gift box that consumers would want to keep as decor every year after; or even a photo backdrop so fantastical that it could become a mainstay in consumers’ homes.
Finally, and in my opinion most importantly, many entries answered questions of sustainability, providing solutions that could reshape an entire world with paperboard packaging. Many solutions felt attainable and even empowering to the customer who wants to make a difference when simply shopping the shelves.
Seated at the judges table, my eyes and hands worked in tandem to appreciate the exciting interplay of creative technical solutions and aesthetic shelf appeal. With each folding carton or rigid box I picked up, I was blown away by the restraint of thought and the almost child-like wonderment I was left with. Simplicity was everywhere, and I was inspired to witness the way the paperboard packaging industry is harnessing it. While I can’t reveal any results yet, stay tuned. PPC will be announcing the winners at their upcoming Fall Meeting in Savannah.