CategoryDesign

The Future of E-Commerce Packaging

Why Channel-Specific Solutions Outperform Adapted Designs With the focus of many e-commerce retailers still heavily on optimisation and sustainability, now feels like the right time to address a topic that has been a slow burning frustration for me over the past four years: adapted corrugated packaging solutions for e-commerce… Understanding Adapted Solutions Before diving deeper into my...

The genius of lego play day

The Genius of Lego Play Day: Lessons in Innovation The annual Lego Play Day on June 11th, 2024, had me reflecting on the topic of innovation and why Lego’s approach is not only different, but I would go so far as to say, genius. As children, we played with unbounded imagination, where ten small Lego bricks could transform in our mind into an plane, a truck, a house, or even a castle. As a...

Impact of Design on Sustainability

What impact do Packaging Designers have on Sustainability? In the face of growing environmental concerns, the role of packaging designers has evolved from creating attractive and functional packages to becoming pivotal players in the sustainability movement. This shift is crucial as the packaging industry significantly impacts our planet. By rethinking traditional approaches and adopting...

Complexities of Designing for Omni-Channel

This article covers the complexities that arise when designing for omni-channel packaging and how to navigate the challenges.In a world where consumers expect to be able to purchase when, where and how they like, as well as growing pressure on retailers to reduce costs, omni-channel packaging sounds like the perfect solution. Enabling businesses to manufacture or produce one product and...

Insights & Experience from Three Decades

As I begin my 29th year in design and innovation, I started to think about what I want to achieve over the next year. This had me reflecting on where I had come from, to what I do now and where the hell has the past 28 years gone!  For me, packaging design started when I was around 10 years old, I went to a careers evening with my parents for my older brother and there was a stand for St...

Why Competition is Essential for Innovation

Why Competition is Essential for Innovation: Exploring the Benefits of Rivalry in Business Recently in my LinkedIn feed, I saw that an ex-colleague and team had won a number of design awards. Now that they work for a competitor, it was difficult to publicly praise and congratulate them, but as a designer, I dropped a private message, as it was a great achievement and they deserved the feedback...

Being unique in innovation

“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...

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...

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