Cyberpac Blog

Sepp Moser

2012-02-02T08:51:00.000Z

Label design for the austrian winery Sepp Moser. The wine is an edition limited to 2009 bottles. So they decided to produce a hand-crafted approach and typed the labels out with an old typewriter. The wine maker then numbered the label. Each bottle is one of a kind.

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.

The Beer From Around Here

2012-01-30T09:15:00.000Z

22Squared, a branding and design agency, helped Red Brick Atlanta Brewing Company redesign their brand and connect with their customer base on a deeper level. Their redesign helped focus the brand to their southern market, pitching a friendly, special product made just for the sophisticated southerner.

Since the small brewery had a limited marketing budget, 22Squared devised a plan to leverage the packaging to double as ad-space. Instead of putting all their stock in market ads, they let the packaging design speak to potential customers, asking them to relate and giving them some entertainment in return. It seems their approach worked—the company increased sales more than 20% in the first month of the campaign. Watch the case-study video and see more of the great packaging below.

The Ampersand Collection: Ten Original Designs & Hand-crafted Prints

2012-01-27T08:55:00.001Z

What designer doesn't love a good ampersand?! It's apparent that Ross Moody does at least—his self run "Greetings Collective," 55 Hi's, is currently featuring a curated collection of 10 9x9" prints of original ampersands created by illustrators and designers rounded up from across the interwebs.

Each ampersand is hand-printed on Mr. French cover weight stock, and the prints come wrapped in cellophane and tucked into a custom folder. See the collection below, and click over to the Ampersand Collection in the 55 Hi's shop if your interested in purchasing one of the 200 limited-editions.

Grow Me

2012-01-26T08:54:00.001Z

The Grow Me range was created as an introduction to our growing products, offering a low price point gift that was easy to merchandise for our customers, and a nice 'stocking filler' for consumers. Our in house designers created the illustrations using mono printing applied to craft paper. Each product within the range uses a different single added colour to compliment the illustrations and giving them each their own personality.

Oh, Expletive: A Project of Epic Odds and Clever Execution

2012-01-25T09:05:00.000Z

Safwat Saleem is a graphic designer in Phoenix who has produced a print series of some of the most awesome things life has to offer.

"Oh, Expletive" is a series about stacked odds combined with unicorns, zombies, knife fights, flame throwers, shark attacks and 8-bit creatures. Do you see the potential here? Not convinced yet, or totally convinced and want to see the epic battles unfold in silkscreened glory?

Pavillion

2012-01-24T08:49:00.002Z

Matthew Algie approached us to create a new brand identity that would reinforce the company’s long standing positioning in the tea community.

Matthew Algie Esq. first began blending tea consignments in 1864, proudly packing them for Victorian Tea Pavilions. Over 140 years later, the company continues to take pride in its rich history (and its tea, of course) and wanted us to create a new identity to reinforce this reputation.

Having assessed their competitors and target audience, we aimed to acknowledge the product’s heritage while appealing to the more contemporary tea-drinker.

We sourced old Victorian drawings to emphasise Matthew Algie’s past – choosing an individual teapot for each of the 10 teas and infusions – and balanced this vintage style with vibrant, contemporary colours. The final identity was rolled out to incorporate brand guidelines, packaging, point of sale and promotional literature.

Bold Inc. Limited Edition Port Collection

2012-01-23T08:53:00.001Z

One of the top design choices designers make usually involves being "bold and brave". Bold Inc. has done just that with their limited edition port collection, using the good old hole puncher and a thick rubber band to create these beautiful labels.

Bold Inc's latest creation captures their craft and expertise with a limited edition Port collection designed in collaboration with illsutrator Jeramy Lord and friend at Bell River Estahte. The collection includes five different bottles. A good old-fasioned hole punch became the simple and ingenious solution to bring hand-crafted exclusivity to each individually numbered bottle.

Our friends at "The Distillery" letterpress and Clear Image Labels helped in this commercial run. The design itself is inspired by the rich history of our neighbouring wharves, where U.S Sailors, on shore in Potts Points and Kings Cross helped establish a long serving culture of working hard and playing harder.

The Bold & Brave Port So. is a testament to our town. Never a dull moment, always an opportutnity. A place where fortune favours the brave.

Cwmni Da

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000Z

The brief was to communicate a young, bright, fun creative television production company. A full range of colours was used for the stationery and ID, the business cards still get great reactions for the client.

Olympics Inspired Graphics Fun

2012-01-19T08:56:00.000Z

Hat-trick's tiny Olympic Non-Events book which sees Otl Aicher-style icons created to illustrate various well known metaphorical phrases. Thus there is a sporty icon for such non-events as Jumping To Conclusions, Punching Above Your Weight and Swimming With Sharks.

As well as the book, hat-trick has set up a tumblr blog (screengrab, above) showing the icons included in the book and also inviting all and sundry to submit their own non-events to be potentially iconised and added to the site at olympic-non-events.tumblr.com. And just in case any of you were thinking of submitting it, Hat-Trick has already (rightly or wrongly) created an icon for Breast Stroking.

Cuppow

2012-01-18T09:15:00.000Z

This is CUPPOW - a new lid that lets you drink from virtually any wide-mouth canning jar. It’s a simple, eco-friendly alternative to poor-performing and messy disposable hot cups, and over-built and expensive travel mugs.

Cuppow was designed by Aaron Panone and Joshua Resnikoff. Graphic design was done by designer and illustrator, Natalya Zahn, and package design and printing was done by Mike Dacey of Repeat Press. Nearly all components of the product's release (industrial design, branding, graphics & package design, printing, photography, website design, and video) were created by a collaboration of talented creatives working primarily under one roof at Fringe Union in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Banks 5-Island Rum

2012-01-17T08:46:00.001Z

International agency Design Bridge, have created a new premium white rum. Banks 5-Island combines the finest rums sourced from Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Java with detailed execution. Inspired by Sir Joseph Banks, a legendary botanist and explorer who sailed on The Endeavour, this is the first offering from the Bank’s stable.

The story of the worldly blend is brought to life through layers of typographic detail that embellish the bottle, including the description of the 21 unique rums from 5 islands. The logotype’s horses were developed as a powerful symbol for the brand, inspired by the fearsome waves that crashed against The Endeavour and executed in the evocative, scripted style of Sir Joseph Banks’ ledger entries.

A sense of exploration is woven in to the design and reveals the origins of the blend. A unique bottle shape and die-cut label evoke the ship’s keel as it breaks the water. The neck sleeve features a bespoke pattern, inspired by Javanese batik. As a premium white rum, Banks 5 Island is the first of it’s kind and adds a new sophistication to the category with a meticulously crafted design.

Dallas Show Invitation

2012-01-16T08:51:00.000Z

Invitation created for the Dallas Society of Visual Communications's Dallas Show, an annual professional competition and showcase of North Texas' best work. The design was created to be used as a dimensional, yet mailable invite using a durable paper, metallic Pantone inks, and impressively complex laser cutting.

5 Olive Oil

2012-01-13T08:53:00.000Z

Brand identity and packaging design for a new premium quality series of Greek extra virgin olive oil. 5 stands for quintessence in olive oil.

Milk Chocolate Bubbles Champagne

2012-01-12T08:55:00.001Z

To combine a new year’s gifting with a self-promotion effort Milk presented its clients, partners and friends with a unique bottle of Chocolate Bubbles Champagne.

The idea was to distill the champagne down to its very best – the BUBBLES. And then add a touch of Milk personality to it – to make the gift work for company’s self-promo. As a result we have an exclusive 2012 Vintage Bubbles Only Champagne filled with finest milk chocolate bubbles.Milk bottle is rethought to carry a champagne bottle character with a touch of gold on cap and heavy snow white paper label.

Honest Logos Say It Like It Is

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000Z

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's the case, a well-designed logo must be worth a million. It's something so simple, yet so loaded, it can make or break a business; instill trust and inspire respect from your patrons, or seriously rub them the wrong way. (Anyone remember the Gap logo redesign fiasco just a few months ago?) For the corporate behemoths, it's a universally recognised symbol synonymous with their products or services. Graphic artist Viktor Hertz takes on a cheeky perspective of some corporate logos, breaking them down to their simple truths.

Terralec Stationery

2012-01-10T08:46:00.000Z

New identity for stage lighting and equipment suppliers Terralec. Full stationary range was created, ranging from light gathering business cards made from fluorescent perspex, through to lanyards and packaging tape. Letterheads/compliment slips were printed on PopSet Yellow 100gsm. Business cards details were laser cut into 2mm Fluorescent Perspex Yellow.

Qlock Two - A Typographic Hand-Free Clock

2012-01-09T08:43:00.000Z

Multidisciplinary design agency Biegert & Funk—based in Germany—are the minds behind the modern and sleek Qlock2 clock design. The QlockTwo and QlockTwo Touch use typography instead of numerals to display the time within a perfect square, and white LED lights highlight the current hour by backlighting the corresponding words, creating a statement of time rather than just a numerical marker.

Steampunk Playing Cards

2012-01-06T08:51:00.000Z

Ripped from the pages of science fiction, the gears are turning, the steam is pumping, and the playing cards were finally born. It wasn't easy. theory11 made the bronze paper from scratch in order to perfectly print the ink that covers its surface in 19th century Victorian machinery. The boldly stamped, debossed elements cast shadows to create a perspective of depth and weight.

An infinite array of detail, designed by Alex Beltechi in Romania and constructed with 12 million 3D polygons. Produced by theory11. Made in the USA at The United States Playing Card Company.

Ajándék Terminál Exhibition

2012-01-05T08:45:00.000Z

Ajándék Terminál exhibition, fair and auction was one of the Christmas events organised by Design Terminal, where Hungarian designers showcased their work. Between 9th and 18th of December products from 50 talented designers could be bought. Design Terminal is a state owned, nonprofit organisation which is taking as main goal to promote Hungarian design culture, organize cultural events and show various international and Hungarian design projects to the public in the building. I was in charge of the graphical design and the image of the Ajándék Terminal, who combined the classical but new calligraphy with a few mixes of vintage typography.

Hand-Embroidered Type Design

2012-01-04T08:49:00.000Z

Maricor/Maricar are twin sisters and co-designers, illustrators and animators from Australia. They craft intricate and beautiful hand-embroidered and paper-cut typography. Their embroidered letterforms are full of texture, pattern, colour and character.

La Fabbrica

2012-01-03T08:57:00.000Z

Packaging for an italian craft beer called “La Fabbrica” (which in italian means “The Factory”). The design had to convey the feeling of historical tradition and modernity at the same time. The style chosen was that of early 20th century socialist propaganda and labor movements posters. The same design was declined for the different kinds of beer, maintaining the principal elements and changing fonts and colours.

Swoon Cookie Crafters

2011-12-23T08:45:00.001Z

Swoon Cookie Crafters originally called PS-Sweets, this custom sugar-cookie maker was ready for a complete rebrand to spur new business nationwide and position the company for the future.

CD Packaging by Martin Kvamme

2011-12-22T09:29:00.000Z

Martin Kvamme of Snøhetta Design in Oslo has worked on two beautiful music releases recently and this one is the nature-inspired packaging for Mike Patton's film score for Saverio Costanzo's film adaption of La Solitudine Dei Numberi Primi (The Solitude of Prime Numbers) by novelist Paolo Giordano.

The rose leaf is printed CMYK on both sides. The front has a UV gloss coating and every single vein of the leaf has been blind embossed to give its surface a nice texture. The songs are numbered as prime numbers, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 etc and are programmed this way when you play the CD.

Stranger & Stranger Christmas Spirit

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000Z

For this year’s holiday bottle, and as a contrast to last year’s, Stranger & Stranger have gone lo-fi. Their writer had a load of fun with all the of copy throughout and also wrote all of the Christmas ads on the bag. We can’t wait to get our hands on the real thing.

Ausonia

2011-12-20T09:01:00.000Z

During a workshop of the master of packaging at ELISAVA (Barcelona), we had to redesign an existing pack (feminine pads) Today, the pads are not made or packaged discreetly. So women go through uncomfortable moments when they have to get them out of her purse. This also causes insecurity in young women who start using them. Besides their packages are not meant to be "pretty" are ugly and non-functional at the time of opening. So our intention was to change the concept of the pack, aesthetic and functional. The goals we set were to redesign not only the pack but also the product itself. This is to redesign the use, portability and make them discreet. And if you put them in a bathroom does not look bad and uncomfortable. We use symbols and colours to easy recognise witch kind of pad you need.

A24+ - Silence Water

2011-12-19T08:59:00.000Z

The inspiration for the Α24+ Silence Water came from the common practice of interrupting. Often people interrupt one another, without letting whoever is speaking finish his sentence. The name ‘Silence Water’ is actually part of a Greek saying, originated in a myth. The question “did you drink the Silence Water?” is addressed nowadays to someone who is not responsive or very quiet or out of words.

In Α24+ we use this saying as a reminder that one should not be hasty in talking, but should rather “learn to listen first and then speak”. The Α24+ was designed in a glass bottle, with a dispenser comprising of 4 doses of 0.125 L, each lasting 24’. The name Α24+ results from the combination of the letter A, which is the drop cap of the word ‘silent’ and 24, which indicates the duration of each dose’s effect.

The Α24+ Silence Water is suitable for people with sensitivity to presentations, lectures and conferences. It soothes the desire to interrupt, enhances hearing, strengthens concentration and prolongs the period of unbroken attention.We would be very happy if you decided to communicate Α24+ Silence Water in your pages.

Vessel Holiday Gifts

2011-12-16T09:08:00.000Z

These are holiday gifts for clients at Vessel, a packaging design studio in Chicago's West Loop. The beer is from our friends at Southern Tier Brewery in Lakewood, NY, and features their IPA and Krampus Holiday Blend silk-screened in white and finished with a matching drawstring bag. Label illustration by Tony Ruth (aka Lunchbreath, aka partner at Vessel).

Which One's Our Tent?

2011-12-15T09:02:00.000Z

Festival goers often have trouble locating their tents within a sea of muddy green and blue tarpaulin. FieldCandy, a new design-led tent manufacturer no less, may well have the answer...
The company is, apparently, hoping to change the face or camping with its range of limited edition tent designs, some of which have been created by designers Terry Pastor, Philip Gatward and Jonathan Zawada.
There's a bricks and mortar design (above) and a cosy quilting pattern, while many of the other designs ape objects such as an open book, a suitcase, a massive wedge of cheese and even, er, a slice of melon.

Student Work: Avoir

2011-12-14T09:06:00.000Z

Avoir is a line of breakfast items that are made from pure, all natural ingredients. Avoir's foods have bold, central yet exquisite flavours created by the european style ingredients and recipes. This line is targeted toward a 20-30 something audience wanting authenticity along with originality. It uses texture, type and detail to appeal to the senses in a way to show how much this product means not only to the company but will mean to the consumer. The concept of quality is expressed through the action of the logo acting as a seal and breaking that seal by tearing the packaging to open.

Christmas Tea

2011-12-13T09:18:00.000Z

The essence of Christmas is getting together with the people we are close with. To encourage that, this design needs two people in order to function. It is a tea packaging design that encourages the sharing of a hot beverage with a dear person in the Christmas spirit.

The Phraseology Project

2011-12-12T08:48:00.000Z

Designer Drew Melton decided he needed an outlet to practice his craft in lettering and typography design. Instead of arbitrarily creating pieces, he knew he wanted to have a purpose to his practice, thus in January of 2011 the Phraseology Project domain was purchased and the challenge begun.

Drew and a handful of other artists took on the task of turning viewer-submitted phrases and words in to beautiful works of type and letter art. And, if the 90+ submissions they received in the first week were a signal, they definitely found an interested audience to keep the experiment rolling.

The Phraseology Project celebrates the art of experimentation and embraces imperfection found in trial and error. Drew says "We try our best to come up with our best work always, but more importantly we value practice and healthy process. In other words, these pieces aren't perfect. But they are honest. We celebrate the process of design and creativity in all of its' outcomes."

Here are a few of their designs:

Noel Myles' Suffolk

2011-12-07T08:46:00.000Z

Painter-turned-photographer Noel Myles has spent the last 15 years documenting the East Anglian countryside in a series of beautiful images made up of dozens of individual shots. Myles lives and works in Sudbury, Suffolk. The town is famous as the birthplace of another artist, Thomas Gainsborough, whose house now serves as a museum and gallery. Myles' work will appear there in a show entitled East Anglia and the Stour Valley which opens in March next year. Shown above is Still Film of an Oak. Below, A Short Film of Spring.

The Ace Outdoorsman Identity Design by Foundry Collective

2011-12-06T08:55:00.000Z

The design duo at Foundry Collective has created some great branding with focus on or great attention to typographic detail, including their design for Ace Outdoorsmen and its vintage and semi-industrial components. The layering and mix of pieces adds interest, and the detailed typography and classic elements seem to suggest that the brand is geared toward the dapper yet rugged outdoorsman.

Colle+McVoyhas All-set Card Set

2011-12-05T08:49:00.000Z

For the second year in a row and back by popular demand, Colle+McVoyhas created the All-set Card Set, a holiday gift that gives back. The eight beautifully designed, letter-pressed cards can be used for many of next year’s card-giving occasions.

Antidote Chocolate

2011-12-02T08:57:00.000Z

Antidote Chocolate is a "health through pleasure" line of single origin dark chocolate bars made with raw & roasted cacao.

Each bar is named after a Greek goddess, with one of eight flavour profiles to match. The packaging comes alive with a surrealistic illustrated interpretation of the deity, complete with an anecdote revealing the connection between each bar's goddess and antidote. The bright colours reflect the purity of its ingredients and refined quality of this premium chocolate. The pharmaceutIcal-inspired logo, in the form of a pill package, is carried over to the mould of the chocolate bar, which can be broken into 10 Antidote "pills" for instant gratification.

Dice For Change

2011-12-01T09:06:00.000Z

Check out this cool set of three designer dice designed to help you to take better care of ourselves (WellnessDice), to be more kind to one another (KindnessDice) and to improve the world we live in (EcoDice).

Many of us strive to be a better person. To take better care of ourselves, to be more kind to one another or to improve the world we live in. These three dice are designed to help you start and act on what you care about. Simply roll the dice to introduce new routines into your life in a playful way and notice how even small and simple actions have a greater positive effect on life.

Everyone Ever in the World: An Infographic Designed by The Luxury of Protest

2011-11-30T09:06:00.000Z

Everyone Ever in the World visually catalogues the number of people who have lived on the planet versus those who have died in war, massacre and genocide—the positive versus the negative. The type-based design is by Peter Crnokrak's London-based design studio, The Luxury of Protest.

The surface area of the design's paper (650mm x 920mm) represents the approximately 77.6 billion human beings to have lived during the recorded history of mankind (projected through "exponential regression calculation based on historical census data and known biological birthrates"). And the die cut circle (650mm x 920mm) represents the loss and death through conflict, which was figured from historical sources, totaling about 969 million people, or 1.25% of all people who have ever lived.

This poignant chart of humanity encompasses over 5 millennia, from 3200 BCE to 2009 CE, and totals 1100+ recorded conflicts, and the smaller circles represent the increase in conflict over time. He printed the design on a variety of finishes, and each gives the chart a different, but equally beautiful feel and meaning.

Peter notes that, what's interesting about this information, is that "the graph exemplifies the value imparted to data with regard to the manner in which it is visualised: The culturally attuned perceptual differences in absolute versus proportionate values. The absolute value of 969 million people killed in wars, massacres and genocide is an astonishingly high number. But when presented as a proportionate to the total... it becomes quite low, 1.25%." Though the standard for data representation is percentage, human death is one of the few instances where absolute values are accepted as appropriate.

Mei Yen Chua Business cards

2011-11-29T08:56:00.000Z

Mei Yen has the best kind of problem to have: a multitude of skills. Her many talents means that it is difficult to sum up her capabilities succinctly. She needed a personal brand that embraced her many facets, at the same time organising and simplifying the information. The final design reflects the retro styling of her publication, Brisbane Budget Bites, with oblique shapes and vintage type style. We dismantled the font Hellenic Wide into two overprinting plates which required pinpoint accurate registration, a breeze on our Original Heidelberg Windmill.

Slinkytype

2011-11-28T08:59:00.000Z

Flexing his typography design skills, Paul Hollingworth created the Slinkytype as a type experiment using repetitive linear shapes to generate letter forms. Paul, a UK-based multidisciplinary designer, gleaned inspiration for the project from—you guessed it—everyones favorite spring. The rounded forms are playful and appear to embrace movement and flex, much like their namesake.

Embossed & Debossed Business Cards

2011-11-25T09:37:00.000Z

Here are a variety of business cards using bok embosses and debosses:

The Honda Experiement

2011-11-24T09:03:00.001Z

Wieden + Kennedy London's latest campaign for Honda, titled The Experiment, is an online game that asks players to create a chain reaction on screen by placing a set of pop-up windows in the correct sequence. The campaign is reminiscent of the Honda Cog ad from 2003, where a series of car parts were used to create a giant Rube Goldberg-esque chain reaction, to emphasise the complex engineering inside the Honda Accord. Here, the audience become the engineers, and are encouraged to experiment with moving the pop-ups around the screen until the correct chain is achieved. The film below shows how it works:

There are six levels to the game, and when these are completed, players get the opportunity to create their own chains to challenge their friends with. The game is best played using either Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers, and was created in collaboration with B-Reel, the production company behind the Wilderness Downtown site for Arcade Fire, which also had fun with pop-ups.

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.

Good Tea Concept Packaging

2011-11-23T09:11:00.001Z

The simple bold title is the first device for attracting the interest of potential consumers. A plain name for the tea works for the intended namestyle, incorporating a steaming cup of tea as a substitute for the letter D. The end of the strapline uses "every body" as opposed to "everybody" - this aims to emphasise benefits for the body. Tea leaves are scattered generously over either end of the box to act as an indicator of the product.

The box comprises glue-free assembly, constructed from a simple diamond-shaped diecut with folds and a closing latch to secure into a triangular prism. Two diecuts fit snugly onto one A3 piece of recycled manilla card to minimise paper wastage. Only graphic elements are printed onto the textured packaging card to use less ink (only two colours on each variety of the range, as well as key black).

The design is intended to have a natural, earthy appeal as well as satisfying various environmental concerns.

Limited Edition DC Shoebox

2011-11-22T08:54:00.000Z

This is a limited edition glass shoebox designed by Deven Stephens for DC Shoes' concept collection NVRBRKN. The design was conceptually driven to speak to the idea of "Never Broken" on every level of the package experience; reinforcing the brand philosophy from beginning to end. Only 7 boxes were made and awarded to those who convey a NVRBRKN stance to life.

Paruva Kaalam Soap

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000Z

This fair trade soap was developed by a local non-profit in South India to support agricultural families in their rural area. Design Impact worked with the community to identify and develop a soap brand that expressed their values and assets. The challenge then became interpreting these insights into a package that resonated with western consumers. Design Impact partnered with Kaleidoscope and consultant Lisa Barlow to successfully span the geographic and cultural distance between consumer and maker. Paruva Kaalam Soaps are sourced from 100% local ingredients and manufactured and packaged by hand. They hit stores in the US this winter.

Shokoladnica Take Away Coffee Cups

2011-11-18T08:43:00.000Z

Packaging for coffee take away cups. The ingredients of each drink is illustrated on the cup to show that Shokoladnica provides quality coffee with deep knowledge of the best practice and to make each cup.

The How to Project: Prints & Designs

2011-11-17T08:49:00.000Z

The How To Project began in the summer of 2010 as a way for Michael Arnold to get his hands dirty and learn how to work with printers and design an actual product. Michael is a 19-year-young designer whose curiosity and experiments have resulted in some vibrant and lovely prints that achieve his goals of being graphic objects as well as tools for interaction. Here are a few of his prints...

Bush Fire Wine

2011-11-16T08:49:00.000Z

Bush fire is a wine produced in Western Australia. The name references the natural cycle of fires and regrowth in the Australian landscape. The deep red wine also exhibits earthy flavours and has a slight smoky flavour, due to the oak barrel ageing process.

Its Time To Crack On

2011-11-15T17:10:00.001Z

John Hensley is managing director of hi-tech packaging specialists The Ant Group, at Claydon, Ipswich, which was named Business of the Year at the Anglian Business Awards 2011. He believes the future of the UK economy lies in engaging young people in manufacturing, as he tells SHELINE CLARKE. Please click here view the full article.

Student Work: Curious Mixture Absinthe

2011-11-15T08:47:00.000Z

Curious Mixture is a supérieur French Absinthe Les Blanche. The name is inspired from the curious mixture of herbs that are put together to make this Absinthe. The black bottle gives it a mysterious character.

Hemköp Packaging

2011-11-14T08:48:00.000Z

Hemköp is a part of the Swedish grocery chain Axfood. The stores are in central locations throughout Sweden. Hemköp offers its customers a wide and affordable range of inspiring foods and good service to meet and exceed customer expectations

Are You A Design Nerd?

2011-11-11T09:01:00.000Z

DESIGNerd is a new trivia game venture, devised by Brisbane-based graphic designer Kevin Finn of Finn Creative. The first three limited edition packs of '100+ Graphic Design Questions by' have recently launched with each pack's questions devised by a different designer. Kevin Finn set the questions (each printed on its own card with bonus points available for extra knowledge) for Volume 1, Steven Heller and Lita Talarico devised the questions for Volume 2, and Stefan Sagmeister has concocted the quiz questions for Volume 3, soon to be released.

Each pack is limited to just 1000 issues and comes housed in a rather nice round-edged tin, which is personalised by the contributing designer's own hand drawn rendering of '100+' on the front and then their hand drawn question mark on the back. If you live with or spend a lot of time with design nerds, this game will test and increase your knowledge like no other trivia game.

Two Hoots Wine Label

2011-11-10T08:43:00.000Z

Wine label and packaging design for a new wine collection targeting a young, fun and care–free audience (20 – 35). Each owl character has been designed to match the characteristics of the wine, which nicely ties into the tongue in cheek descriptions on the back of each varietal. Back label of Cabernet Rose: 'Like the screeching owl, this cabernet rose has a rather flirtatious character. Fresh peach and pear aromas combine with cheeky cherry flavours to add sweetness to the playful, fruity wine.' Back label of Cabernet Merlot: 'Robust and vigorous like the spotted owl, this cabernet merlot has a rich plum character. Oak and blackcurrant aromas combine with dark cherry flavours to add luxury to this hearty wine.

Drunken Sailor Rum

2011-11-09T09:10:00.000Z

Drunken Sailor Rum is a celebration of rum and those who adore this spirit most – the old sailors with their quirky little sea shanties. This limited edition run was lovingly hand produced and finished. Telling the story of "What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor" – one of the crews most famous and upbeat working songs.

When the bottle is turned upright, the face reflect the drunken sailors feelings earl eye in the morning.

Blackpool Comedy Carpet

2011-11-04T08:49:00.000Z

Gordon Young and Why Not Associates designed this amazing, large scale Comedy Carpet situated in front of the Blackpool Tower, UK, and references the work of more than 1,000 comedians. The carpet, inspired by playbills and classic fliers, is 2,200m² and contains more than 160,000 cut granite letters embedded into concrete and finished with a glossy top.

ABCXYZ Stationery

2011-11-03T08:51:00.000Z

ABCXYZ is a consulting firm based real estate investment in Mexico City. The name covers the whole search process, selection and sale of a property. The logo is inspired by the architecture of skyscrapers. HyperBrand has been responsible for designing the identity, positioning and communication strategy.

Artist Using Bioplastics

2011-11-02T10:45:00.000Z

As an environmental artist Jacqui Jones from Norwich, UK aims to challenge preconceptions, pushing the boundaries of familiar materials and processes to encourage the public to view the natural world in new ways.

In 2010 an exciting opportunity came her way, as she was asked to incorporate bioplastics into her artwork. The 12 month project called Art and Innovation, was coordinated by The InCrops Enterprise Hub (funded by the Regional Developmental Agency & European Regional Developmental Fund) and The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, UK. The concept linked selected artists with companies creating sustainable products. Marchant Manufacturing Co Ltd in Haverhill and Cyberpac in Gt Blakenham, supplied Jacqui with a range of biodegradable polymers and she began a period of research and experimentation. This included factory visits to see the manufacturing process of both water-soluble and starch based bioplastics.

The initial project was a series of embryonic sculptures called ‘A Bag For Life’. This work was directly influenced by research into compostable packaging. The sculpted bags are filled with seeds or saplings; each bag has burst as water has been poured on it allowing some of the contents to spill out. Following this Jacqui Jones produced two series of short-term installations entitled Harmless Landscape, one set in the mountains of Snowdonia and another in Thetford Forest, and a series called Presence which considers the long term waste issues associated with conventional plastics and the low environmental impact of biopolymers.

Recent gallery exhibitions include ‘Melt’ in which a figure slowly dissolves as melting ice from above drips onto the torso below. The act of transformation from one state to another is a powerful metaphor for the impact the ice cap melt may have on coastal communities.

This initiative has provided the artist with a platform to show how science and the environment can work in harmony rather than in conflict and she’s subsequently produced a range of creative workshops for community groups, highlighting the benefits of biodegradable packaging.

The project demonstrates how a fusion between arts, commerce and science results in work that inspires, educates and raises the profile of bioplastics. Jacqui Jones would be really interested in collaborating with companies or universities in the development of further projects. She is particularly keen to work with injection moulding, vacuum forming and sheet extrusion techniques and to take part in artist residencies. Organisations that could offer support in any of these areas should get in touch with the artist directly.

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.

Malcolm Gladwell: Collected

2011-11-02T08:46:00.000Z

Lavishly and elegantly designed by Paul Sahre and masterfully illustrated by Brian Rea, the book was the brain child of designer and entrepreneur Josh Liberson. Millman's colleague at Sterling Brands, President of Innovation DeeDee Gordon, was also part of the panel discussion. Gordon was featured in Gladwell's The Tipping Point when it was first published in 2002.

The show was filmed by Hillman Curtis and captured a discussion about the production of the book, the future of the publishing business and how Sahre and Rea worked together to create this extraordinary new collection by one of the world's most influential and groundbreaking thinkers.

Student Work: Chinese Meal for Two

2011-11-01T08:50:00.000Z

Supermarket packaging for a Chinese meal for two. The inner package structure is based on the traditional layout of the Chinese dining table. Perforated matts can be removed from the main base and contain chopsticks for each person. The packaging continues to contribute to the dining experience even when the contents has been removed and its function would otherwise be complete. The brief was given by Starpack packaging competition.

Halloween Fanta

2011-10-31T08:42:00.000Z

A redesign of this years Halloween themed packaging with the Fanta crew that is posing with their favorite Halloween costumes. With the characters like Kimmy the Witch and Andy the Vampire.

Sudent Work - Black Sheep Absinthe

2011-10-28T08:54:00.000+01:00

Premium Absinthe package design.

Little Print Shop of Horrors

2011-10-27T08:50:00.000+01:00

Manchester-based Creative Spark is raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust with Little Print Shop of Horrors, a series of horror film-themed prints to buy this Halloween. Here are a few examples of their work:

Monster Cat CD Pack

2011-10-26T09:17:00.000+01:00

Alternative folk rock band Monster Cat has teamed up with independent designers Izyanti Asa'ari and Alison Schooling to produce the CD packaging for their debut EP, Mannequins. The CD pack is a loose assembly of items that falls apart once the paper wrapping is undone. Its design elements compliment the album's haunting and introspective tone and with its sprinkling of cosmic geometric forms, the overall design.

Emphasis was paid to the choice of material used with a preference for paper and fabric that would allow for translucent show-through of the layered items. Raw yet delicate, the intention was to heighten the tactility of the final object.

Hand-Lettering by Simon Walker

2011-10-25T08:52:00.000+01:00

Graphic designer and letterer Simon Walker has an extreme knack for hand-drawn type and custom lettering. His personal portfolio is full of beautiful logos and signage featuring type and clever icons. Happily, Simon agreed to answer some of my questions about his work, process, inspiration and life as a full-time designer part-time freelancer.

White Wood Series

2011-10-24T08:46:00.000+01:00

Baxter of California, a premium men’s grooming and lifestyle brand since 1965, extends the “flammable” soy wax candle series with the introduction of White Wood, Series Two.

Gavin Martin Colornet Limited Proof Bags and Tube

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

Gavin Martin Colornet Limited decided to use their proof bags and tubes which they use to deliver proofs, as a mobile advertising canvas. It was decided to make them a little more eye catching and memorable, make them raise a smile and act as a talking point when dropping off or picking up proofs, as well as increasing the chances of them being kept.

Askinosie Chocolate

2011-10-20T08:54:00.000+01:00

Askinosie Chocolate's most recent product, an intriguing dark milk chocolate + black licorice bar, is the first in a series of bars in their CollaBARation series. The series emphasises a collaboration between the chocolate-maker and another specialty ingredient provider. (In this case, Martin Jörgensen, and his licorice factory, Lakritsfabriken.)

Askinosie make their packaging amazing through more than simply design. It goes down to the basics: materials. Their bars are never wrapped in the expected or ordinary. And this bar is no exception. This product is packaged using a white waxed bag.

Five Rows Craft Wine

2011-10-19T10:07:00.000+01:00

Five Rows is a boutique winery located in the St. David’s Bench area of the Niagara Peninsula. The goal with the package was to position and treat the icewine as a traditional farm staple — milk, butter, eggs… and Icewine. Icewine has been traditionally marketed as a rare and highly coveted liquid to be consumed on occasion as it is insanely labour intensive to create and as such demands a high retail price.

It was decided a folded, glueless, piece of paper wrapped tight to the bottle with a produce elastic would do the trick of communicating the utilitarian nature. The bright nectar colour of the wine itself deserved no less than flint glass for full colour, which in the end also adds to the re-usable milk bottle feel of the package.

The label is essentially a carrier for winemaker notes on the production of the wine as well as origin. The initial release was digitally printed at low volume, hand cut and applied by hand with elastics similar to the remaining 1000 bottles. Much of the graphics are also hand drawn which is consistent with the Five Rows identity. The flint bottles were finished off with a hand drawn signature by Wes Lowrey the winemaker.

Sweeteeth Chocolate

2011-10-18T08:59:00.000+01:00

Sweeteeth is a boutique handcrafted chocolate company. This redesign encompassed business renaming, logo design, product naming of each of the bars and development of a tagline.

The happy tooth logo has a vintage cartoon feel and almost screams out for a jingle, emphasising the homey, handcrafted nature of the product. The hand-drawn illustrations on the packaging continue the development of this aesthetic, hearkening back to older styles of package design. The packaging of each bar is distinct, for example the “Sea is for Caramel” packaging consists of various deep-sea creatures, referencing the sea salt that perfectly complements the dark chocolate and sweet caramel. While the logo and packaging emphasise the handmade feel; they also locate the brand firmly in the realm of up-market boutique products.

Aristocrat Bank Note Playing Cards

2011-10-17T08:45:00.000+01:00

Aristocrats set the standard for high-end, durable playing cards since the early 1930's. The Aristocrat Bank Note Playing Cards are coated with a Linen Finish. They are known for their durability and unparalleled longevity. The court cards contain rich, deep colors - with metallic gold on the royal faces. The backs have a hint of elegance and intricacy, with universal appeal.

Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit

2011-10-13T08:54:00.000+01:00

The box and labels promote the "at home" nature of the product. The simplistic design makes the art of beer making seem within reach.

Darius II Luxury Cases

2011-10-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

After completing the wine label design, Auston Design Group provided structural and graphic design for luxury cases that house Darioush Winery’s most revered and exclusive wine, Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon. The subtle and minimalist design reinforces the ultra luxury status of this tier and evokes the very essence of Darioush Winery’s brand image: chic, sophisticated, and understated – the epitome of elegance.

The cases were beautifully produced via Influence Communications, a specialty printing, packaging and POS company based in beautiful Oakland, California. Our thanks to Chris Hundley and Bill Brown for maintaining the highest standards and helping us see the project through to fruition.

Astra Infographic Videos

2011-10-11T08:52:00.002+01:00

The infographic videos for European satellite and communications company, Astra, are beautiful in their clean, geometric and symmetrical design. The videos and graphics were created by London-based Sam Renwick at This is Real Art. The videos are part of an integrated campaign to inform and educate people both on the function of satellites and the company itself.

Here are three of the seven produced:

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.

AlcoHolidays

2011-10-10T08:48:00.001+01:00

The AlcoHolidays is a yearly holiday promotion that is sent to the clients of One Trick Pony as a way to creatively package everyone's favorite gift – booze.

This year's installment riffed off the Whitman's Sampler chocolate box, but contained a sampling of 12 nips with flavors from really cheap brandy to hardcore whiskey (complete with a legend under the lid). Each bottle featured an employee offering some sage advice on how to nip the holiday in the humbug.

Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

2011-10-07T10:19:00.000+01:00

Steve Jobs, who has died aged 56, was at the heart of a revolution that turned the creative industries upside down. After Apple, our world was never the same again

Following the advent of the Mac, almost every aspect of the production of visual communications was changed for ever. Of course it wasn't all down to Jobs: many others helped build Apple and let's not forget the contributions of Jobs' contemporaries at the likes of Xerox, Adobe, Aldus, Macromedia, Quark and a host of other start-ups. Crafts such as typesetting, retouching and illustration, previously the domain of highly-trained specialists, were suddenly accessible to all. On one machine, we could design a typeface, retouch an image, create an illustration, layout a poster and edit a film.

But just because we could, it didn't necessarily mean we should. Thanks to the Mac, designers could do it all - but for no more money and with no more hours in the day. For all the enormous and undoubted benefits that the Mac and the digital revolution it symbolised brought to the creative industries, it has also resulted in the undervaluation of many of the crafts on which it relies. The Mac, the DTP Revolution, whatever you want to call it, drew back the curtain. Now anyone with a computer could set a line of type, design a logo, touch up an image. In every revolution there are winners and losers.
And yet would anyone want to go back to those pre-Mac days?

As TBWA Chiat Day's famous campaign had it, with an Apple Mac you could 'Think Different'. Such innate understanding of the power of his brand is perhaps the other reason why Jobs was held in such high regard by our industry.

It has often been said that Apple is not a technology company but a design company. It redesigned the way we live and gave us the tools to do it. Its products were not just the best looking but also offered the best user experience. The interfaces, the materials, even the boxes the products came in were leagues ahead of the competition, as was the advertising.

Jobs and Apple created their own exquisitely designed universe. As a result he will be remembered not just as the man at the heart of revolutionising the creative industries but also perhaps as its ideal client: a man in charge of one of the world's biggest companies who understood the power of what we do, invested in it and championed it.
He got it. And he got us.

Laughing Man Worldwide

2011-10-06T08:57:00.000+01:00

Laughing Man worldwide started with friendship, a promise, desire and a little synchronicity. In 2009 Hugh Jackman visited Ethiopia as world vision ambassador and met a local coffee farmer named Dukale. He worked the farm with him and sat down with his family and friends. He learned about Dukale’s hopes for his family, community and his efforts to work out of poverty.

The Motto at laughing man is all be happy, which comes from an ancient sanskrit prayer. It wishes all to be happy, all be free of disease and none suffer misery of any kind. That is the essence of laughing man worldwide and its passionate and dedicated team. We hope to become a well of support that continues to flow where needed, both here and abroad, giving 100% of the profits it receives from its ventures to charity.

Established wanted to convey the laughing man brand’s core spirit of “all be happy” with a collection of packaging that was at once gourmet, joyful and modern. The product’s quality credentials called for luxury so a silver and grey color pallette and clean typography were used.

Meanwhile the custom chalk type graphics used across the brand convey the idea of a hand-finished barrista quality. They casually applied, unique laughing face stickers on each product are designed to reflect the universal nature of laughter, goodness and ethical-mindedness, which are fundamental to the laughing man brand. The concept of constantly changing stickers also invites the consumer to interact with the brand directly by uploading their own laughing face on the website, for a chance to be used on future packaging.

The overall aim was to create a brand that broke the mould of ethically responsible products being packaged in arustic, hessian way. Laughing man is a product that looks at home on the shelves.

Snookums Cat Food

2011-10-05T08:52:00.001+01:00

Snookums is a cat food for cats with chutzpah; cats that are rough, tough and have had enough of your negligent and embarrassing, human behavior. The objective was to differentiate the Snookums brand from competitors using a unique "un-sugarcoated" portrayal of cats, channelling frustrations felt by cats worldwide and the guilt and flaws of their human masters.

The brand had to also visually stand apart; and does so, due to it's simplicity and "no bull" look and feel, which mimics the Snookums' felines attitude toward the consumer.

New Audi A6 Avant Advert

2011-10-04T08:44:00.000+01:00

In a new animated ad for Audi, written by BBH and directed by Daniel Barber, a nimble metalic hummingbird effortlessly flits through surreal forests and fields made up of of roadside furniture such as traffic cones and road signs.

"The new A6 Avant has a unique aluminium and steel construction," explains BBH's Kevin Stark of the agency's approach. "It makes the car lighter, more agile and more fuel efficient, but it's also fun to drive. The aluminium bird was the perfect metaphor to demonstrate this. We wanted the bird to look like it had been made by Audi engineers. Director Daniel Barber along with Tom Bussell and his team at the Mill built in A6 features – so [the bird's] eyes have the Audi LED's and his chest mirrors the Audi grille. They then constructed a surreal road trip for him to manouevre. The unlikely choice of music; a Johann Strauss Operetta [entitled Open Road, Open Sky, sung by baritone John Charles Thomas] adds to the sense of fun."

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.

We Are The Fiction Book Design

2011-10-03T08:45:00.000+01:00

Jez Burrows of Sing Statistics created the cover design and interior layouts of 'We Are The Friction', an anthology of collaborative illustration and short fiction. The simple, clean interior rightly passes the focus onto the words and illustrations.

They asked 12 pairs of illustrators and authors to compose a new work inspired by the work of their partner - "stories from illustrations and illustrations from stories." The pairs included Ray Fenwick vs. Spencer Krug, Pietari Posti vs. Ryan Boudinot, Dan Kennedy vs. Frank Chimero, and Chris Eaton vs. Nigel Peake.

Typographic Chalk Design

2011-09-30T09:19:00.000+01:00

During office hours, Dana Tanamachi is a graphic designer at Louise Fili Ltd. in Brooklyn. But, in her spare time, she also moonlights as a custom chalk letterer—a niche field with some beautiful results and amazing, hand-drawn typography. She has created custom signage and designs for weddings, parties, business, books, events and more.

Jay Roeder's Daily Type Drawings

2011-09-29T08:55:00.000+01:00

Jay Roeder's daily type drawings are great and most are centered around some sort of quote or idea. Jay has many influences for his work: "First and foremost, music is extremely inspirational in terms of my content. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t see something, or hear something that inspires me. I have this list in my iPhone of never ending thoughts and phrases that I plan to draw – all inspired by my every day life."

"I love describing my style as embraced imperfection. Being a perfectionist, I’ve always wanted everything to be perfect, and it wasn’t until I decided to embrace imperfection that my hand lettering started to take on character and interest. There are also many great hand lettering artists out there who I have studied to give myself a solid foundation."

Draw In Light branding

2011-09-28T09:47:00.000+01:00

An incredible way to package a look book in a unique way. The receiver becomes involved in every step of opening the package. Draw In Light had this branding created for their new womenswear label. The label is based around the idea of light and crystals that ran from the logo to the imagery for the AW/10 collection.

Forest Day CD Packaging

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000+01:00

Forrest Day came up with this design for his new album and enlisted world-renown model builder Lisa Gemmiti to help execute the album art. Gemmiti and Day developed the concept for the art with painstakingly accurate detail. The cover features a jumper on the ledge of a building while reams of onlookers gawk. "I was trying to capture the notion that America has a very voyeuristic attitude about tragedy. The figure on the building isn't actually a jumper, he's just trying to stay above the fray and set himself apart. It's darkly humorous and represents the tragicomic vibe of my album," explains Day.

Cyberpac

2011-09-26T09:09:00.000+01:00

Cyberpac produces creative packaging for creative people. We are packaging and production specialists who understand the creative industry. To view more of our products click here.

London Design Festival's Tent London Show

2011-09-23T11:10:00.002+01:00

If you are heading to the London Design Festival's Tent London show, be sure to pick up a copy of the rather nice accompanying directory designed by Marc&Anna using Rick Banks' F37 Bella font. Marc&Anna's 48-page directory is printed on the same pink paper used by the FT.

Tent London is a major design trade show with over 200 exhibitors showing furniture, lighting, ceramics, textiles, materials and so on, plus various installations and extra shows which will be at the Truman Brewery from September 22 to 25.

Nacosta CD Packaging

2011-09-22T08:56:00.000+01:00

Los Angeles based band Nacosta recently released their debut EP, “Wilderness City,”. With the help of designer, Sheva Kafai, the album artwork (hand drawn with graphite on paper, then digitally coloured) truly captures the essence of what listeners will get from their music. They draw their influences from psychedelic, folk, and rock based sources. Their music sounds like song structures from the 60s, mixed with sensibilities and ideas from the 90s and 00s.

Recycled Packaging for Laundry Detergent

2011-09-21T08:50:00.000+01:00

Cardboard jug for laundry detergent by Ecologic Brands. Ecologic believes mountains of recycled material can be put to good use and plastic can be minimised. “We design and manufacture our bottles from the ground up, starting with what’s better for the earth. Our outer shells are made from recycled cardboard and old newspapers, and can be recycled again and again. Our inner pouches use minimal plastic. The spots and flecks on our molded fiber shells are there because we use 100% recycled materials. We like to say each bottle has its own personality.”

Sar Churro Sacred Blend

2011-09-20T08:46:00.000+01:00

To some of us having coffee is like a morning ritual more sacred than others. San Churro, a chocolate company in Australia takes that Sacred ritual and capture it into their "Sacred Blend, A serious coffee with a pure heart". Studio Alto, Melbourne has created some powerful artwork for the packaging that resonates with the existing brand.

The Big Bus Challenge 2011

2011-09-19T08:59:00.000+01:00

Throughout the summer, CBS Outdoor, in association with Campaign, laid down a challenge to every advertiser, agency and creative out there to show off their skills with some brilliant Bus advertising designs in order to win both a media campaign and £2,000 of shopping vouchers for themselves.

The brief was to create great Bus ads for a national or regional advertiser. They needed to deliver real impact on the street, showing how the advertiser can harness the power of Bus to grab the attention, spark conversations, and stick in the mind. Over 650 entries were received from across the UK and, which has highlighted the passion that remains in our industry for the most iconic medium in town.

The winner was Compassion in World Farming with this entry to stop the transport of live animals.

Jive Talk CD

2011-09-16T08:50:00.000+01:00

This interactive CD package was designed for Jive Talk’s latest album ’123 Jump!’. To enhance fans’ experience with the band, it uses Augmented Reality and Quick Response codes. Fold the CD case to form the stage and scan the AR code to start the band’s “live” animated performance. Watch the animated Jive Talk members perform their title track, “123 Jump!”.

The inner booklet shows each of the four band members. Scan the QR markers, place your Smart Phone over the band members’ mouths and watch the guys sing their music!

Teabag Coaster

2011-09-15T08:50:00.000+01:00

Yuree S Lim and Jleun Yang created a great teabag concept. Once you remove the teabag from its packaging and make your tea, you can place the soaked bag on top of the paper envelope to reveal some artwork.

A Designer's Wedding Invitation

2011-09-14T08:51:00.000+01:00

A wedding is such a personal event, and it is interesting to see how designers' tackle the task of creating their own invites and identity for the celebration. It's almost candid to see how they use their skills on a project they are passionate about.

Brian Hurst's design is no exception. He designed the save the vintage modern date and invite package for his wedding featuring a classy color group and great type.

Amelia's Boot CD Packaging

2011-09-13T09:40:00.000+01:00

CD packaging design from Studio On Fire for Erik Brandt and the Urban Hillbilly Quartet. Note the over print on the cover as well as the black on fold out piece.

52 Types deck of Cards

2011-09-12T08:40:00.000+01:00

The 52 Types deck of playing cards was created as a quick reference tool for designers. Each card is designed with its own font. Ace through jack shows the majority of each font’s family while ten through two was given a more radial design. The cards were designed to still be used as a traditional deck of cards while doubling as a cherished item by designers. This project was accompanied with a poster showing the entire deck. Earlier this year it was awarded with a Golden Addy in San Diego's local round.

100 Years of East London Fashion in 100 Seconds

2011-09-09T08:49:00.000+01:00

A fun and musical video showing 100 years of East London style and fashion design in 100 seconds. The video, from Westfield Stratford, covers fashion design from "September 13th, 1911 to September, 13th 2011".

Guardians V2 Playing Cards

2011-09-08T08:44:00.000+01:00

Produced by theory11 and manufactured by the US Playing Card Company, the Guardians v2 take elements of ancient scriptural art and combines them with a modern, industrial design. Printed on Bicycle's signature Air Cushion Finish, the deck allows you to play with ease, and look frickin' awesome doing it. This new edition features embossed, raised titling and the metallic foil logo emblem.

Lego-Inspired Mens Customisable Shoes

2011-09-07T08:54:00.000+01:00

Grant Delgatty has been in the shoe design industry for about 16 years. He noticed that shoe companies spend vast amounts of time and money deciding what styles and colors customers will want each year. He thought that the customer should have the ability to participate in the creative process and choose what they want instead of being told.

Inspired by one of his favorite childhood toys—Lego—Grant devised an interlocking and interchangeable footwear model, and after three years of development, Urshuz is hitting the shelves. The product allows the customer to choose from a variety of classic and new styles in an array of colours to create and change their footwear quickly and economically. Not only is the model more sustainable than normal purchasing and production (more styles with fewer materials), but the soles are also 100% recyclable. Plus, the soles mould to the wearers feet for a custom fit.

Bear Fruit

2011-09-06T08:51:00.000+01:00

B&B Studio have created the entire visual world of BEAR. Starting with naming the brand, they have created the identity, packaging expression, stationery, right through to it's online presence. They were tasked with 'presenting the naturalness of the product' and helping it stand out from competitors in what is 'a very crowded sector', says Creative Partner Shaun Bowen.

The name BEAR was chosen as a play on words - to embody the idea of naturalness, suggesting that nothing is added to the product and a bear foraging for fruit. The products are made from 100% fruit and whole grains.

Harmless Packaging

2011-09-05T08:57:00.001+01:00

Harmless Packaging is a sister company of Cyberpac with a range of truly compostable packaging sourced ethically, produced efficiently and sold responsibly. There is a wide range of products from compostable packaging to dissolvable packaging. Here are a few examples:

Click here to see more of what we do.

Frozen Ghost Vodka

2011-09-02T08:53:00.000+01:00

Frozen Ghost Vodka is a new entry in the crowded super-premium vodka marketplace. Arresting packaging is vital to success in this segment, both for the bottle and the box it arrives in. This design capitalizes on what the name suggests, both eeriness and the appetite appeal of a chilled vodka with an ethereally smooth flavour.

Icons from Iconic Characters

2011-09-01T08:55:00.001+01:00

Part design, part illustration, these minimalist paintings are by Andy Awesome. He creates actual icons from iconic characters, people and items on canvas with acrylic (or prints on t-shirts). Here are but a few: