“Square peg in a round hole” is an idiomatic expression which describes the unusual individualist who could not fit into a niche of their society. The metaphor was originated by Sydney Smith in “On the Conduct of the Understanding”, one of a series of lectures on moral philosophy that he delivered at the Royal Institution in 1804–06: I see a direct connection with this...
You only get one chance to make a great first impression?
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** As a child, I remember the excitement building during the run up to the festive period, not being able to wait until the big day and when my parents left the room, sneaking over to the tree and examining the wrapped gifts in detail. Were they heavy, light, overall size, did it have cut outs, or a shape that might give away...
How to find the ‘Sweet Spot’ for your e-commerce packaging?
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** Whilst there are greater complexities in the e-commerce Life Cycle and an increased number of touch points compared to Bricks & Mortar, with the right tools, knowledge, expertise and innovation methods, your packaging ‘Sweet Spot’can be found. Corrugated cardboard and the first box designs were created over 100 years ago...
Evolution of e-commerce Packaging
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** Evolution of e-commerce in 25 years: towards sustainable packaging Gavin Mounce, e-commerce Design Manager at DS Smith shares his thoughts on the importance of sustainability in this rapidly growing channel and what part the creative community have to play in shaping the future and helping to protect our environment. Waste...
The power of a millimetre
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** How making small changes to your packaging design can have a big impact on sustainability Sustainability is a critical topic and a key priority for everyone, but how much difference can packaging make? At DS Smith we offer packaging solutions that are created following our Circular Design Principles, aimed at designing out...
How can packaging increase your sales and profits
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** In this article, I explore ‘How can packaging increase your sales capacity and profits during peak season?’ DS Smith design expert, Gavin Mounce, explores the important role packaging solutions play and how they can make a significant difference in your sales capacity and profitability during one of the busiest E...
Beating Designers Block for the Packaging Industry
I am confident that even if you have been a packaging designer for a short while, you will have had at some stage experienced “Designers Block”. For those that are not designers, or experienced this wonderful feeling, it is where you turn up to work, start a project brief with all the best intentions, sketch a million ideas, hate them all, bin them and then question “why did I ever choose this as...
Reducing the pain of e-commerce returns?
There is no denying that January is the season for e-commerce returns and whilst this can be a huge pain point now, the problem can be year-round for many online retailers and in some cases return rates can be up to triple that of bricks and mortar. Nobody wants an unhappy customer and returns can be an issue for any retailer, however they can also have a significant effect on the overall success...
Don’t always blame the courier…
and ways to improve the performance of your e-commerce packaging There is an old saying that goes ‘before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes’, it seems like the natural thing to blame the courier if our parcel arrives damaged, marked or ripped for mishandling, but spending time with them behind the scenes changed my whole career. “Firstly, I have to hold my hands up and say that I have...
Mistakes in Design & Innovation
A post on LinkedIn recently caught my eye, it was a quote from Theodore Roosevelt in response to a criticising comment left about a product being developed to support the fight against Corona Virus. It made me reflect about how many times I viewed something as a mistake, but actually turned out to be quite the opposite. Next month will be my 25th year as a structural designer in the packaging...