Top 3 packaging trends shaping up for 2019
The packaging industry today is buzzing with 'influencer packaging' to deliver likes, shares, and create an ongoing dialogue across a bevy of social networks. Brands are also becoming aware of the benefits size audits can deliver to the bottom-line; economies of scale, reductions in consumer transaction costs, and reduced storage costs. Visually, packaging is always in flux, from essentialism to street inspired graphics. 2018 isn't short on trends, there's always something new on the horizon as industries change.
The business of Packaging is changing along with everything around us, politics, trade, and sustainability.
Always seeking new opportunities to address the ever-changing business of retail, we're asking "Why?" Why does packaging still operate in the same manner it did 50 years ago? Why is recycling the sole responsibility of the consumer? Why aren't we trying to do more with less, and take responsibility for what we create?
As the teams at Design Packaging continue to look ahead to the future of packaging, here are the top 3 things you can expect:
Brands looking to innovate and deliver new consumer experiences have blue ocean possibilities, but until today it's been hard to break from the norm. In retail, consumers exit shops with shopping bags and gift boxes full of tissue, as they have for what feels like a millennia. Driven by rising costs of materials, manufacturing, as well as environmental pressures, packaging is being downsized. We're guiding brands away from the old model, and into experience driven packaging that can be reused, repurposed, and has the potential to becoming a marketing component beyond share-worthy packaging.
Don't look back for inspiration, and look ahead to endless possibilities.
The United States is in crisis mode when we look at recycling. The number of instances where curbside recycling is being taken to the landfill or incinerated continue to increase. Even in municipalities with stricter than normal compliance laws, we're seeing recycling plants impacted by China's National Sword policy. Compliant packaging is becoming more expensive. Demand for PCW continues to rise while its supply is being diverted to landfills. Brands need to explore creative partnerships and rethink what sustainable packaging can be.
Together, we're helping our clients and their consumers pick up the torch and make a change for the better.
How design goes from on-screen to in-hand is becoming a lost art in today's production world. We're working more frequently with designers wanting to learn mechanical processes, production techniques, and material sciences which allow brands to make better decisions. From color paper stocks, to the impact PCW content can have on your ink mix, it's important for in-house designers to be part of the manufacturing conversation.
In today's environment, it's important to connect with like minded people and share what you know. We're here to guide, inform, and take your packaging into the future.
Let's talk