Back in March of last year, I announced that BRANDPACKAGING magazine was beginning a comprehensive redesign with the help of brand identity firm laga (www.laga.com). With this issue, we are proud to unveil the “new” BRANDPACKAGING—the result of countless hours of painstaking analysis and lively discussion about where the future of our industry, and the needs of our readers, is headed.

Much like the brands we write about about, we charted a course that would begin with extensive research of our “consumer”—you. But first, before the polling and the focus groups would begin, we decided to put in writing our current perceptions of the publication. Everything was on the table, from our logo and tagline to the visual look and feel, and even the informational structure, of the magazine.

As a result of these discussions, and borne out by our research, we began to see the opportunity to more clearly articulate our mission to our readers. Our goal has always been to look at packaging strategically, a role that has historically been overlooked by many, but that has been enjoying a groundswell in recent years.

A new tagline—Elevating Packaging in the Marketing Mix—seemed to capture the role of our publication as advocate, fighting for the seat at the table that packaging deserves. From the tagline emerged a new logo, still simple and straightforward, but this time with a graphic element. A carat in place of the letter “A” alludes to our desire to elevate our subject matter and heighten awareness.

But as you will see, the makeover was not constrained to our “face”, the cover. Throughout the publication, we have reorganized, streamlined and made more accessible the information you rely upon to better understand your consumer, to elicit inspiration, to validate ideas and facilitate innovation.

I would like to thank the dedicated and passionate team whose insights and hard work made this challenge a reality: senior editor Pauline Hammerbeck; art director Bill Antkowiak; publisher Gerri Brownstein; senior group publisher Pete Giannakopoulos; chief marketing officer, laga, Julie Anixter; creative director, laga, Jamey Wagner; design manager, laga, Steve Leder; and project manager, laga, Lisa Clarke.