Cyberpac Blog: April 2013

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

26 miles and 385 yards

Congratulations to Rebecca from our finance department who completed the London Marathon at the weekend. So far she's raised over £1400 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and completed it in 5hrs 7 minutes.

"Never again!" she says...

Disclaimer: Some images hosted on this blog have been collected from external research associates to be presented as stimulus to those seeking news from the cutting edge of packaging. The imagery is not being presented as our own and copyright still belongs to the owner/creator of said work.

Friday, 19 April 2013

Harmless Dissolve

The environmental crisis caused by the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste plastic in our seas has received increasing coverage in recent years, with groups and celebrities taking high profile action to highlight the issue. Few stories however, can be as shocking as the recent case of a sperm whale that was found dead on a beach in southern Spain whose stomach contained no less than 17kg of discarded plastic.

To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to roughly 550 coke bottles or over 1200 plastic carrier bags – about 4 years’ worth for the average person in the UK.

The majority of the plastic found in the whale’s stomach derived from the Spanish greenhouse industry which grows many of the tomatoes and fresh fruit that we eat here in the UK. A staggering 30sqm of greenhouse plastic was found in the whale's stomach...

Better plastics for a better world...

Here at Cyberpac we are working with a number of companies who are taking responsibility for their post consumer waste, such as TwoThirds Surfware ( http://twothirds.com/ ). Since 2010 TwoThirds have been packing their clothes in Cyberpac’s Harmless Dissolve environmentally friendly plastic. The Harmless Dissolve products are based on a water soluble polymer that looks and acts like plastic, but dissolves in water in a matter of minutes. For TwoThirds this means acting responsibility whilst also engaging with consumers on an interesting new level (when did you last see a plastic bag dissolve in water?!).

Using environmentally responsible packaging like Harmless Dissolve helps companies to create a cohesive brand image, and to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. Furthermore, by turning an essentially negative experience like discarding waste, into a positive one, companies are able to engage their customers in an interesting and unusual experience that they are likely to share with others. Its all about adding value to the consumer experience and doing it in an environmentally positive way.

And for all the whales out there, it means no more plastics lunches…

Learn more about Harmless Dissolve at http://www.harmlesspackaging.co.uk/harmless-106-harmless-dissolve.html

Monday, 15 April 2013

Student Work: Smithuis bakery Waste

For many years, Smithuis bakery waste, such as stale bread and crumbs, were dried and mixed for animal feeding. It is rich in fat and carbohydrate, but the protein quality and the vitamin content are low. As better and more suitable food sources emerged, Smithuis had to find alternatives and decided to do something different: turning waste into something delicious while increasing profits.

This project elaborated on the development of a packaging that could fulfill the predefined goals by Smithuis; modern, luxurious and quality. The function of a packaging plays in the purchase decision of customers, especially concerning supermarket products, an important aspect. But packaging is much more than ‘the box around the product’. Packaging not only fulfills a lot of functions (ranging from ‘protecting’ to ‘informing’ and beyond), it also plays a vital role in the supply- and value chain of products.

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Stretch Island Fruit Company

Stretch Island Fruit Company has an extensive line of fruit snacks. They came to us looking for a brand refresh and packaging overhaul that would bare fruit. We responded with a concept that truly focuses on the benefits of real fruit in a fun and playful way, appealing to both kids and kids at heart. We used a gloss coating to add depth to the design in a unique way for each sku, and created a truly versatile design system. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Gothia Launia

Eva Studio recently undertook the naming and design of Gothia Launia, an artisan beer produced by a microbrewery in Cataluña.

Here’s the low down on the project from Eva Studio: “Gothia Launia, or land of Goths was the old name by which Ancient Cataluña was known, it was also one of the hypothetical etymological origins of Catalonia. The griffin, a mythical beast that is half lion and half eagle, forms the logo and was one of the elements we took from this ancient imagery in which develop the packaging design.

The beer has it’s own unique story behind it “We are in our land, in the year 900, surrounded by vineyards. We are in the Gothia, and the northern wind brings smells of malt and hops in the regions of Liege. During the same time, in the Belgian abbeys, large tanks that produce beer explode at a rapid pace, the first weisseiber beers see the light of day in Germany, and in Aachen, the modern city of old Europe and laws are made with a beer in hand. It’s been 1200 years, and today we still seem to get this beer-scented breeze. Today, our passion for great beer and brewers, inspires us and pushes us to create Gothia our own craft beer originated in Barcelona with it’s own universal projection.”

We love this design, it has a rich history woven into it that provides intrigue but most importantly lends itself to the design providing the iconic Griffin logo that sits at the heart of this bottle. Outside of the logo not much more is needed, some simple typography and a basic colour palette does the job nicely, all helping to finish off this excellent design.

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Astounding Latte Portraits of Famous People & Characters

New York City-based barista and artist Mike Breach uses coffee as his medium and has created amazing portraits of well-known personalities on many a latte.

He first started creating his wonderful latte portraits out of boredom—beginning with simple designs like hearts, he went on to manipulate the milk in lattes into unbelievably accurate drawings of celebrities, historical figures and pop culture characters.

Using a bamboo skewer as a paintbrush, he has created portraits of a diverse range of latte portraits, including that of Einstein, Jim Morrison, Shakespear and even Yoda.

Watch the video interview of the talented barista below to see him in action.

Monday, 8 April 2013

Designer Unearths An Intriguing ‘Fossilized’ Typeface

Austrian designer Andreas Scheiger, inspired by the fossil models that children make in school, has created an intriguing ‘fossilized’ typeface that looks like they have just been excavated.

The project, named “Evolution of Type”, imagines the biological evolution of a typeface, and its “preservation” to eventually become ancient fossils.

Made with plasticine, chicken bones, wood, water colours and gypsum, these letter sculptures are a gorgeous and creative way to imagine an alternative life for fonts.

The designer’s clever photography—using props like archeological brushes and measuring tapes—makes these letters look like they have really just been unearthed.

Friday, 5 April 2013

Student Work - Zoe Blow

Organic gelato packaging for a conceptual brand called Willow and Sage from RMIT student Zoe Blow.

Thursday, 4 April 2013

Carter Wong rejuventates Cornetto

Design consultancy Carter Wong has rebranded Unilever's Cornetto ice cream, as part of the brand's strategy to reposition itself in the market, giving it a more youthful appeal.

Carter Wong, which also designed Unilever's Heartbrand heart logo for all their ice cream businesses back in 1996, was commissioned to redesign Cornetto to make it more appealing to the younger, 15-25-year-old consumer.

The original logo had been tweaked over the years, but it was felt that it was now looking rather tired and neglected, according to Carter Wong creative director Phil Carter.

The new marque emerged from the simple idea of creating a logo in the conical shape of the product itself. It now runs vertically up the ice cream cone, thus "owning the cone", as Carter points out. "The new packaging has much stronger standout now, as the logo is so graphic, no matter how the cones sit in their individual freezer baskets."

Novo

Change agents John & Jay co-founded NOVO Organics with a mission to empower individuals to make informed, and ultimately better choices about what they consume.

Branding their “movement” required a disruptive design solution that engages and motivates in an emotionally powerful way. Spring Design Partners hand crafted a brand identity anchored by simple, honest illustration that visually communicated the idea of turning an industry on its head.

Extended to a line of hydration beverages, the NOVO identity is a visual magnet that connects individuals who share its values.

Designed by Spring Design Partners, Inc., Country USA

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Introducing the useful dust jacket

Australian ad agency BMF has partnered with publisher Random House Australia to realise a nifty book donation charity campaign which turns the humble dust jacket into a pre-paid envelope.

BMF came up with the campaign, entitled Mailbooks For Good, as a way to make it super simple to donate books to The Footpath Library - a charity which provides books for homeless and disadvantaged Australians.

The idea is gloriously simple: once readers have finished a book sporting one of the specially designed dust jackets, they can simply remove said dust jacket, turn it inside out and wrap it back around the book at which point it becomes a perfectly fitting, pre-paid envelope. Et voila, the book is now ready to send direct to the charity for distribution.

The campaign works particularly well for The Footpath Library as they encourage the donation of books in good condition. "It's important for our readers to receive books before they are old or broken," says Sarah Garnett, founder of the charity. "When you don't have very much, the gift of a beautiful book reminds you that you are connected to the world and that the world cares."

Last month Random House released several titles sporting Mailbooks For Good jackets in Sydney's Gleebooks book shop, displayed in special point-of-sale shelves. The agency and charity hope to roll out the campaign internationally in the near future.