Unboxing has reached PIDA
In this year's PIDA the assignment is to create a sustainable, innovative and functional packaging concept that offers a unique unboxing experience. In our latest blog post, Christoffer Windal, Packaging Developer at BillerudKorsnäs, tells us about the brief, about trends in packaging, and about PIDA's importance for the industry.
Hi Christoffer, tell us about this year’s brief!
“This year’s brief is all about unboxing! We want the students to take the big trend of unboxing and apply it to the premium segments and show us how to enhance brands and products by packaging design and by creating an unboxing moment.
The target audience for the contending design projects is modern urban consumers with high demands. Which means that the packaging concepts have to appeal to a crowd that is not very easy to please. The packaging concepts shall be designed for products in the cosmetics & beauty care, luxury drinks, premium chocolate & confectionery segments. This kind of products are often presented as gifts, which makes the unboxing experience all the more relevant.”
The importance of creating an unboxing experience will increase. Especially for brands that want to compete on the fast-growing e-commerce market.
What are your personal thoughts about the unboxing trend?
What do you see as the biggest trends in packaging design? And are there any apparent trends we will see in this year’s PIDA?
“Increasing demand on e-commerce packaging with bigger volumes and expectations from the consumers. More customization where you will expect your package to be unique and adapted to your personal needs and preferences. Higher focus on second life/after life for packaging, reuse, recyclability and so on. Moving away from non-sustainable materials to more sustainable solutions and of course creating a true unboxing moment!”
What are your expectations for PIDA 2018?
“I have high hopes on creative, innovative and sustainable packaging that challenges the conventional. It will also be interesting to see how the students approach the unboxing experience and how they choose to film it – the film is a new addition to the presentation of the packaging concept this year. And I can already promise that the speakers at the events will be really interesting – for students, converters and brand owners alike.”
PIDA is a hub for innovation, inspiration and of course new ideas in packaging design.
What does PIDA mean to the industry?
“It is a chance for converters and brand owners to see how the future professionals will impact the packaging industry. PIDA is not just a student competition. PIDA is a way to bring students and industry closer together, and introduce talents to converters, brand owners and design agencies. The event itself is a hub for knowledge sharing with focus on innovation, inspiration and of course new ideas in packaging design.”
What does PIDA mean to you?
“For me personally I hold PIDA close to my heart. I do a lot of the first introductions of the brief for the students together with my colleagues and then sometimes I get to see them halfway through the projects and again at the final event. So the students, the projects and the event itself mean a lot to me. Actually, earlier this week I met three former PIDA-contestants when doing a workshop at a brand owner’s – so the PIDA-network is everywhere!”