Brand Management - Design

In a highly competitive marketplace, brands and packaging designers are looking for ways to differentiate their products on the shelf. Packaging trends for 2018 will increasingly go beyond color to include embellishment options such as foils, special varnishes, soft touch finishes and more.

Pantone, a wholly-owned subsidiary of X-Rite, has revealed its Color of the Year for 2018. The color is being referred to as "dramatically provocative and thoughtful," and is one that "communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us towards the future."

Every year, Constantia Flexibles manufactures packaging for more than 50% of the 150 million chocolate Santa Clauses produced in Germany. The patented method, which involves aluminum foil being produced industrially and rolled, has been in existence for more than 100 years.

When a product’s packaging goes beyond its basic function of making the product easy to transport and enhances the consumer’s experience with the product in some way, it creates an even more positive user experience, which can enhance loyalty and repurchase frequency.

In this video, we highlight a marketing piece from New York City-based Bertelsmann Printing Group. The 44-sided polygon (technically a tetracontakaitetragon) was used to highlight its structural design services for packaging customers.

There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year for converters and suppliers to share information about the latest in digital printing. But the recent Digital Packaging Summit also brought a group of brand owners into the mix. Here is a what a few of them had to say about their experiences with digital printing.

Although many brand owners still want to hold physical prototypes in their hands, 3D prototyping is growing in popularity because of its versatility and speed to market.

As both the in-store and online shopping experience evolves, packaging remains a crucial element in the interaction between brands and consumers. However, in this changing retail landscape, brands need to consider the new roles that packaging can play in connecting with the consumer.

Nike's Global Football Division is using Esko's Studio for its packaging design, leading to considerable improvements in user-experience, concept communication and time-savings. Esko’s Studio is a unique set of tools for 3D packaging design made specifically for packaging artwork professionals.

Ever since "Stranger Things" was released on Netflix in 2016, it has accumulated an almost cult-like following. Despite the show's release on a streaming service, Netflix has teamed up with Target to release the first season on DVD, with some very interesting packaging.