As automation technologies progress, there are more opportunities for machinery to respond directly to input from human operators. This is why a good human-machine interface (HMI) is extremely important.

Packaging has always been a means of communicating a brand’s value proposition — who your product is for and why it’s better and different than anything else on the market today. But in today’s increasingly competitive consumer product landscape, the critical need to stand out is inspiring marketers to push the boundaries of design in new and unexpected ways. Based on what we’re seeing from design projects on our global platform, here are five new trends that will dominate packaging design in 2020 and beyond.

We share our Top 13 articles from 2019 that caught readers' attention — from the top beverage and food packaging companies of the year and the outlook for 2019 to some neat designs and trends. Enjoy the read!

Trends around the world are moving fast and changing how we live and interact with the world. Brands will need to understand how these trends will impact their ability to do business and find solutions to adjust.

Industry experts foresee continue growth in the flexible packaging industry, fueled by two developments: increasing consumer demands for convenient packages, and an industry push for sustainable, shelf-ready product designs, according to the Flexible Packaging Market Assessment produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

The 2019 unicorn trend can be traced back to the great Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino launch of 2017. The colorful, limited-edition drink resulted in a #unicornfood spike on social media inspiring food and beverage brands to package or bottle the cheery qualities of unicorns in hopes of magical sales.

The post-purchase experience is an area that is often neglected in ecommerce. Branded packaging is more costly than using stock shipping boxes. So many ecommerce businesses feel that it’s simply not worth the investment.

For over a century corrugated packaging has carried products around the world, delivering everything from machine parts to computers and food from point of origin to point of use.

Just because millennials and members of Generation Z are close in age, does not necessarily mean they share the same belief systems. For this generation, diversity, purpose, and honesty are more than hashtags. They are virtues these young consumers expect from all brands.

Two packaging industry trends are causing headaches for automated case packing OEMs and their customers. OEMs must advance their design strategies to keep the cost of automation affordable so customers continue to receive optimum ROI.