Bionic woman - Source: Wired via BrianSolis

Do you remember the film, Minority Report?  Fiction often prefigures reality and in that movie a future was depicted, where visual objects are manipulated by hand, newspapers have sound & moving pictures, billboards change & interact (depending on who is viewing them) and cereal packs ‘talk’.

In the near future, it will be technically feasible and increasingly more cost-effective to put a moving display onto a packet of cornflakes. However, whether you are a technical specialist, generalist or know nothing about packaging whatsoever, we are all consumers and the question that’s so often overlooked is: so what?

Imagine going into your local supermarket where every cereal box bears a moving image. Should we use that moving display for promotional purposes or to add more information on the pack? As pointed out by Faraday, If all the pack graphics are moving, how will you create a clear point of difference? How else will the consumer be affected by the technological tidal-wave that could result from cheap, ubiquitous nanotechnology including plastic electronic devices and ‘smart’ materials?

Sony’s Rollable OTFT screen

Remarkably much of this technology already exists. Touch-screen technology is rapidly developing and ‘talking’ newspapers with moving pictures are close, as printing & polymer science catches up in devices like flat-screen televisions, where Sony launched “the worlds first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV” in Japan 2007 and more recently (May 2010) their organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) ‘Rollable’ material.

Elon University made broad predictions (2006) for the future:

2010-2014: RFID tied to GPS – everywhere. Super supercomputers. Intelligent materials.

2015: Adaptable materials. Genetic profiling. Human cloning.
2016-2025: VR immersion. Ubiquitous robots. Emotion-control devices. Paint-on power.
2026-2045: Space elevator. Moon base. A “singularity” due to accelerating change.
2046-2150: Mars colony. Time travel. Brain downloading. Humans assimilated into the internet

So what are the implications for retail packaging? Certainly, it will need to be ‘smarter’, not only in terms of technologies & materials but also:

• Supporting changing lifestyles
• Communicating more effectively (on shelf & at home)
• Providing greater consumer & convenience
• Augmenting branding
• Lower environmental impact

Packaging will also need to communicate even more information to the consumer:

• ever-more information required on ever-smaller packs (primarily pharmaceuticals)
• traditional printed packaging will not cope
• use of low-cost printed displays & electronics could be necessary

There are already a variety of ‘intelligent’ packaging formats available in the healthcare sector to help patients take their medication at the right time. In consumer packaging, some AR technology is already used, such as the Lego Point-of-Sale packaging that gives a 3D visual rendition of the assembled contents within.

Lego AR POS packaging demo

Lego AR interactive POS terminal (Source: Augmented Reality Blog)

However, AR initiatives so far have been mostly utility focused, nothing more than animated 3D demos, exploiting the novelty of new technology. As a result, the AR ‘space’ is quickly becoming overcrowded and won’t take long for the ‘AR novelty’ to ‘wear off’. What is needed is a more consumer focused ‘problem solving’ approach in order to exploit the benefits of the technology.

As technology and web convergence happen, a number of exciting packaging opportunities will arise.

In retail stores, there will be opportunities for:

• Enhanced shopping experiences through interactive packs at POS
• Improved Brand identification, through applications such as Google Goggles, where consumers take photos of packs on their mobile phones, products are ‘recognised’ and more information, special promotions or affiliated/similar brand/product information is provided via web
• Guiding you to other similar products via GPS
• Longer Term RFID will supplement ‘hodgepodged’ communication to further enhance interactive experience on packs at POS
• Communication will become more ‘pack driven’ (RFID), rather than requiring consumers to take photos of packs

However for all of this to work, there will be a fundamental need for collaboration between retailers & all their supply chain partners.

In the home there will also be potential for more interactive & vivid:

• Instructions for assembly & use
• Multilingual & interactive 3D information
• Product shelf life warnings– fridge & fruit
• Product information

This will mean opportunities for ‘Storytelling’ and bringing the products ‘to life’, which will lead to deeper brand engagement and stronger emotional connections, leading ultimately to greater brand loyalty.

There is an argument that all of this technology will have a dehumanising effect and there is also the privacy issue recently highlighted by Facebook, but the counter-argument is that communication binds us together, gives us shared context & ultimately a shared identity. Personally I think that the benefits far outweigh the problems, and we are now already on a journey of ‘no return’. So I would urge you to ‘grasp the nettle’ and take the initiative, before your competitors and before you get stranded without a ‘liferaft’.

O’Reilly said that “If we are going to solve the world’s most pressing problems, we must put the power of the ‘Web to work’ – its technologies, business models, and perhaps most importantly, philosophies of openness, collective intelligence & transparency.” Ultimately the Web and World will be one and the same, inextricably interlinked through packaging!

Chris Penfold

If you liked this and would like to see more – check out the collection of favourite Augmented Reality videos on our YouTube site.

Starpack packaging awards 2010

If you’ve got a recently launched product that displays some unusual, differentiated, innovative or unusual packaging – or just looks really ‘cool’ – why not enter it into the Starpack Awards?

The Starpack Industry Awards are the pre-eminent UK awards scheme for packaging design and innovation. The Starpack Awards have been recognising innovative packaging design and technology since 1960. That makes 2010 Starpack’s 51st year!

This year’s categories have been chosen to reflect key areas of packaging applications and packaging development.

The closing date for entries is 25 June 2010.

Design Cognition are proud to support this great initiative which is designed to promote innovation in the industry. If you’ve got a great idea but don’t know what to do with it – why not give us a call, to review your options.

You can find out more about The Starpack Industry Awards and get an application form, by following this link to the IOM3 website. GO FOR IT!!

No, Marks &Spencer aren’t returning to selling loose meat slices between paper sheets, but they are going to be offering pre sliced meats in packaging made using Billerud’s Fibreform material.

This great new paper is highly formable, provides enough barrier properties for the cooked meats and of course is seen as being environmentally friendly – Great for M&S’s Plan A.

Thanks to Packaging Gazette.co.uk for making us aware of this one.

Is this the future of condom packaging?  It’s very gimmicky, but could well appeal to the younger market.

I believe this is only an idea, but it shows what can be done with a bit of imagination.  Why not spend a few minutes on this sunny afternoon contemplating where else you could use this kind of packaging – I’m sure you could have some fun. (Jane Bear)

To view the short video of this pack in action just follow the link to YouTube

EC Packaging Project Funding available

Later this year (July) it is expected that the EC will publish a call for proposals to support the packaging industry to find new ways of adding value to its products. Large companies (>250 employees) can receive a grant of 50% towards their costs whilst SMEs can receive grants up to 75%.  The European Commission is looking for proposals that produce packaging concepts exhibiting the following properties:

· superb barrier properties in terms of durability and protection capabilities utilizing e.g. nanocoatings or thin films for enhancing consumer safety and to extend the shelf life of packaged, perishable goods;

· smart features incorporating nanotechnology such as indicators, sensors, protection against counterfeit and tampering, product traceability indicators, interactive components or biometric components which can be added to packaging  using low cost printing technologies, such as roll-to-roll printing;

· utilisation of materials derived from a sustainable and renewable source, recyclability or biodegradability, and the applicability of resource-efficient (material, energy, water) package production processes.

Maybe you are part of a large corporation that has identified some opportunities but don’t have the finance or resource to take them forward  (e.g. a sustainability or technology project that has the potential to ‘add value’)
or on the other hand, you could be part of an academic institution, Knowledge Transfer Network or SME who has a technology that is looking for a ‘home’.

Either way – I am looking for opportunities to help match you up, build a ‘value case’ and try and get our hands on some of this funding. So if you are interested – please get in touch: enquiries@designcognition.com (putting ‘EC Funding’ in the title)

Chris Penfold

Design Cognition is proud to announce its partnership with a number of other successful healthcare New Product Development (NPD) companies in the Midlands to provide a ‘one stop shop’ service in consumer healthcare product development under the banner of ‘The Healthcare Development Partnership (HDP)’.

Collectively we are a group of highly skilled, experienced, like minded individuals and companies who have come together to offer a complete healthcare product development service.

As well as helping established companies redefine their market positioning, revamp and reinvigorate their product ranges, we will help new healthcare businesses overcome difficult first hurdles, bringing together all of the necessary resources under one ‘umbrella’ to get to market ‘at pace’ and ‘right first time’.

As well as continuing to run our own thriving businesses, as founding partners we all bring significant blue-chip corporate experience, having developed and launched hundreds of successful branded consumer healthcare products across the world. So Design Cognition will continue to provide the first-rate service to which you’ve all become accustomed, but now as a partnership we can build on that and together offer you so much more.

The enhanced services that we collectively offer span all aspects of product development, including strategy development, product formulation, packaging development, clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs, technology sourcing and product licensing. These services are underpinned by world class project management capabilities.”

Clients can utilise all the resources that The HDP offer or just access a specific area of our capabilities. Whatever your requirements, a project leader will provide single-point contact and co-ordinate all project activity. As part of The HDP we all combine depth and breadth of knowledge with a passion for healthcare, giving our clients tailored solutions and an integrated, seamless service.

If you’d like to find out more visit or new website www.the-hdp.com  or drop me an email via chris@the-hdp.com

No, this isn't a crushed box.

Nice idea, I’m not sure in reality it’s really going to be practicle though.  It sounds great that you can form it into different sizes of standard boxes, but how strong would it be in transit?  And like the full article says being able to individually size all your parcels might not lead to as much of a cost saving as initially thought – odd shapes don’t stack or form stable pallets! (Jane Bear)

Great concept though and if you want to read the full article just follow this link Fast company

Packaging design and development is on the ‘crest of a wave’ which will soon coming crashing down all around us. If you’d like to avoid a drowning or secure a liferaft, a couple of safety flares and a GPS to help you navigate your way through the impending turbulence, have a look at this short video to give you a flavour of what’s to come.

It’s a short video summary of the presentation I gave at the recent easyFairs Packaging Innovations event at the NEC in the UK, entitled ‘Web 2.0 & Web Squared – implications 4 packaging design now & future’

In it I talk about the growing effect, implications and opportunities of the internet on the packaging design process and on ways of working. I also highlight the convergence of Web & technology and the effect on consumer and patient interaction and personalisation, with some great examples of emerging and leading-edge packaging design.

Once you’ve had a look at the video, if you’d like more information or access to a ‘more complete’ version of the presentation – drop us a line to enquiries@designcognition.com

You can find the video here: ‘Summary video – Web 2.0 & Web Squared – implications 4 packaging‘

Cheers

Chris Penfold

Powder, tablet, gel capsules or free flowing gel? – There is no doubt that there is a lot of variety in the detergent market, but before you click away have you ever considered what it could mean for your own products? (Jane Bear)

An interesting article from Des King about a market which covers not only a wide variety of product formats, but also some very diverse packaging formats.  Innovation in this market has always been a driver, but what could other markets learn?  How about a vitamin syrup in a squeezy upside down pack, or a cough medicine with a measured dose pump?  It’s just a question of pushing the norm and thinking outside of your category “me too” packaging format.

To read the full article visit Packaging News

Some interesting research has recently been undertaken by Helsinki University, commissioned by M-real Consumer Packaging. I found it interesting because it provides the strand of an insight that opens up a wider debate about ‘Innovation’ and how that fits with the provision of consumer benefits and convenience. The research report details two studies. The first is a ‘brand stand-out’ study using ‘eye-tracker’-type spectacles’. The second was an ‘innovation test’ where participants were asked to handle variously shaped cartons, all with the same print design. The researchers found initially positive impressions – considering an unusual shape to be innovative and tempting, for example – but that consumer perceptions soon changed if the carton was found to be tricky to open or close.

OK it’s not ‘rocket science’ but this second test, got me thinking. If you read any Mission Statement or marketing plan these days, ‘Innovation’ is a word that will crop up as a ‘must have’ for the majority. It is a term which is much overused, a bit like ‘environmentally friendly’ is as well. But what does it mean really? Many companies claim to want innovation and differentiation, but don’t want to pay any extra for it. Very few will look at it from a consumer convenience perspective, or look at innovation as a holistic consumer benefit of both product and packaging working in perfect harmony.

Indeed the Helsinki researchers noted that “many consumer comments referred to the product itself, even though they were only asked to evaluate the packaging”. They concluded that “The outcome of the consumer perception test was clear: the package is an integral part of the product itself and both need to be complementary”.

You can read the full article by following this link to Food Production Daily