Innovation is like an infinity loop; it never ends. Even in markets as mature as packaging, forward-thinking companies never stop looking for a new angle, never stop thinking of ways to improve their products and elevate consumer satisfaction.
As evidence, The Dieline Package Design Awards were recently handed out, celebrating packaging that continues to innovate and expand. The Awards are a competition devoted exclusively to the art of brand packaging. The 2013 competition saw more than 1,100 entries from 61 countries around the world.
Looking over the list of winners, it should come as no surprise that many of the innovations come in the area of sustainability, from a hand soap bottle made from plastic recovered from the ocean to an expandable food package made from 100% biodegradable material from renewed sources.
“For the 2013 awards, a new Sustainable Packaging Award was created to highlight innovative contributions to the field of sustainable package design,” said Andrew Gibbs, Founder and Editor in Chief, The Dieline. “As package designers, it is our innate responsibility to design packaging with our earth in mind. Each and every one us who designs consumer product packaging for a living has the ability and the duty to create packaging that has less of an impact on the world we all live in. This project does just that, and shows designers that you can create compelling and effective packaging out of sustainable materials.”
But the packaging breakthroughs are most certainly not limited to sustainability initiatives. Ease of use and the good, old-fashioned ability to solve an ongoing problem are all clearly on display.
Frankly, perusing the list of winners should be paramount for anyone in the packaging industry. It’s a way to get inspired, to see how much profound thought still goes into a product that has been around for centuries, and most importantly it’s a reminder that innovation never punches a time clock.
