Package Design - April 2012 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR

by LInDa casEy
11262 Cornell Park dr. Cincinnati, oh 45242

Prepare for Inspiration
G
ifts from the muse is a misguided concept. You aren’t given the benefits of her affections. You earn them. In this issue, we try to make this task a little easier by looking at environments, creative practices, materials and tools that foster inspiration and innovation. In our Front Panel section, we cover a café opening with an unusual specialty—laser fabrication. The FabCafé in Shiboya, Japan, fuels creative process with hot, caffeinated beverages and encourages experimentation with high-tech mock-up tools (p. 6). Ronald de Vlam of brand strategy and design consultancy Webb deVlam certainly would approve of the place. In our Designer’s Corner column (p. 15), he explores creative practices that nurture innovation, including getting out of the office. De Vlam also relates that process to an exhilarating experience—his high-speed motorcycle trek across the desert in South America. Before any idea can graduate from concept to actual packaged product, it has to be tested. We take a visual exploration of three different approaches to prototyping packages in “Proof of Concepts” (p. 30) and follow that up with a roundup of machines and software to help you execute your next great idea. “The Promise of Technology” (p. 28) encourages you to look at your packaging materials differently. Instead of designing with static paper and poly, consider smart and active packaging materials that interact with the consumer, the product or the environment. Thanks to advances in packaging technology, smart and active packages are much more accessible than ever before. Some brands already have moved from static packaging materials to interactive packaging. According to research group MarketsandMarkets, the market for active and smart packaging technology has enjoyed its highest growth rate during the past two years, estimated at a compound annual growth rate of 10.5% and 12.1%, respectively. The researchers expect strong growth for the category until at least 2015. With these tools and practices, you just might just be able to charm even the most high-maintenance of muses.

Editorial dEpartmEnt Editor-in-ChiEf Linda Casey linda.casey@stmediagroup.com managing Editor Ben P. rosenfield ben.rosenfield@stmediagroup.com ContriButing Editor Patrick henry pat.henry@stmediagroup.com art dirECtor Laura mohr laura.mohr@stmediagroup.com ProduCtion Coordinator Linda Volz 513-263-9398 linda.volz@stmediagroup.com SalES dEpartmEnt PuBLishEr Julie okon 317-564-8475 / fax: 513-744-6909 julie.okon@stmediagroup.com assoCiatE PuBLishEr John t. Lyons iii 770-955-2923 / fax: 610-296-1553 john.lyons@stmediagroup.com CorporatE Staff PrEsidEnt tedd swormstedt dEsign grouP EditoriaL dirECtor Kristin d. Zeit PaCKagE dEsign suBsCriPtion sErViCEs P.o. Box 1060 skokie, iL 60076 P: (847) 763-4938 f: (847) 763-9030 Pd@halldata.com rEPrints / E-Prints / PLaquEs mark Kissling 513-263-9399 mark.kissling@stmediagroup.com

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PacKaGE DEsIGn (Issn 1554-6772) is published 10 times annually by sT Media Group International Inc., 11262 cornell Park Dr., cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. no charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. annual rate for subscriptions to non-qualified individuals in the U.s.a.: $48 UsD. annual rate for subscriptions in canada: $76 UsD (includes GsT & postage); all other countries: $98 (Int’l mail) payable in U.s. funds. Printed in the U.s.a. copyright 2012, by sT Media Group International Inc. all rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. POsTMasTER: send address changes to: Package Design, P.O. box 1060, skokie, IL 60076. change of address: send old address label along with new address to Package Design, P.O. box 1060, skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Debbie Reed at (513) 263-9356 or Debbie.Reed@sTMediaGroup. com. subscription services: PD@halldata.com, Fax: (847) 763-9030, Phone: (847) 763-4938, new subscriptions: www.packagedesignmag. com/subscribe.

april 2012

Package Design - April 2012

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