See These Top Products Below! Puff Car Cups Campbell's Skillet Sauce Jaali Bean Fou-Dré eos

There comes a time in a girl’s life where she spends every waking, and possibly non-waking, moment dreaming of a certain day. She plans, preps and, according to stereotype, yells. She is working on her wedding. 

 

For some girls, so much arranging goes into the big day that the date itself may become the focus, and not the reason behind it (your new life with your best friend). I recently read online that someone’s freshly-married buddy texted her “Now what?” on her wedding night mere hours after saying her vows. (Based on context, she was referring to the fact that she had nothing left to plan, not confusion of what to do in that hotel room.) 

 

I’m not married, I’ve never been married and I probably will never get married (I have one cat and am debating adopting a second. Stop me before I get to four.) So I don’t know if these feelings really surface, but I do know to some extent the excitement of looking forward to an event and then the disappointment of it ending.

 

In my case, this would be Packaging That Sells. Just over a month ago, BRANDPACKAGING had the privilege of hosting its 10th annual conference, Oct. 1-3, in Chicago. As it was my first PTS, I went into it not quite sure what to expect. By Tuesday, I didn’t want to go home. It was that good.

 

The theme was Make It Matter. Packaging is critical to a brand, and a brand only gets one shot at the shelf to wow the consumer. The presenters and their discussions were amazing. Luke Williams of frog design kicked the show off: We laughed. We pondered. We saw a baby dance to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” The speakers over the next two days were equally interesting, with topics ranging from design thinking to knowing your consumer and the research you should be doing for your brand. Excellent case studies were sprinkled throughout. Chris Durham, My Private Brand blog owner, keynoted our second day. Private label brands sure have come a long way in the last couple of years. No longer are they just national label knockoffs, but well-designed, well-executed products — and the packaging reinforces that.

 

During the networking breaks, you could slip through the crowds gathered around the sponsors’ booths to meet new people; stop to look at new products and technology; take a few minutes to complete your name badge design — one lucky gal won a weeklong stay in the British Virgin Islands courtesy of brand identity firm Wallace Church; or mull over the Design Gallery products. See what attendees voted as the top products on the previous page. 

 

If you weren’t able to attend the conference this time, don’t miss out again next year. Like the girl who can’t stop planning, we already have Packaging That Sells 2013 in the formative stages (though our excitement is for the show itself and not just the prep work). Look for our call for speakers in the early spring.

 

 

1. Category: Paperboard Brand Name: Puffs Car Cups Brand Owner: Procter & Gamble Submitted by: Interbrand   Puffs Car Cups were created to help drive trial, incremental purchases and out-of-home usage for the brand. The packaging format is a streamlined carton structure that fits most car cup holders. The collection of six designs is based on popular fashion and accessory trends.

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2. Category: Flexible Brand Name: Campbell’s Skillet Sauce Brand Owner: Juli Mandel Sloves Submitted by: Ampac   Millennials are just starting out in their own homes and are experimenting with food. They love exciting restaurant flavors, but don’t necessarily have the time or knowledge to recreate these dishes at home. The stand-up pouch tears open easily, graphics enforce the restaurant feel and the chalkboard effect is created with matte varnish.

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3. Category: Paperboard Brand Name: Jaali Bean Brand Owner: Brian and Monila Junkins Submitted by: Kaleidoscope   The essence of the Jaali Bean brand is accessible India. The playful brand name and identity were the inspiration to create a clever yet sophisticated design. A contemporary palette and clean design language combine with a fresh, homemade feeling of the photography.

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4.  Category: Glass Brand Name: Fou-Dré Brand Owner: Chanel Turner Submitted by: Flowdesign   Fou-Dré fills the void created by the abundance of standard-shaped vodka bottles on the shelf. The goal of the design was to create a striking bottle in the shape of a lightning bolt to coincide with the brand name, “Fou-Dré,” which means “lightning” in French. The bottle was designed to be taller than its competition, sophisticated and eco-friendly.

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5. Category: Paperboard Brand Name: eos Brand Owner: eos Submitted by: Sonoco Alloyd   The goal of the package was to be the first on the market using this design and sustainably focused packaging technology. The HBA package features sidewall sealing and dual hang/stand display options. The Alice in Wonderland lip balm set reveals a color-contrasting storyline and a shadowbox effect highlights  the Breast Cancer set.