Episodes

Todd Maute explains how CBX’s FORGE process helps redesign multi-SKU packaging for CPG and retail brands faster and sometimes cheaper. CBX is known for its brand experience development for pet, food, and even pet food brands! Learn how design agencies collect data, project-manage, and make production a design challenge to ensure every redesign aspect is measured and considered. Packaging design for one box is complex. Redesigning packaging for hundreds of SKUs all at once, well, that’s an undert...

Kirk Visola, Founder and Creative Director of Mind the Fun, Co-host of Clubhouse's Kirk and Kurtts (Andy Kurtts), and Monday's with Marilyn (Kirk's mom) joins PDU to have a discussion about race and design. Kirk shares the experiences he's had as a black designer, learning that design could lead to a career, and his passion for comics. We discuss everything from updating his LinkedIn profile with an image for the first time, interviews, his sketch process, and how design can take a couple days t...

Supply chains are breaking down, freight rates are blowing up, and today there are even brands that are paying off dock workers to move their products to the front of the line.Don't stoop low enough to break the law, just listen to this episode where Thaxton Lipscomb explains how to engineer your logistics to move your goods faster and cheaper. He lays out everything from materials to incoterms and how to save money by shifting responsibilities to sellers making them want to move the goods faster in order to get paid upon delivery.Here's what you get in this episode:1) What the hell is ECT? If you’re ordering packaging and it’s shipping in corrugated boxes, you need to know what ECT is. You’ll also get a few standards that you can use when quoting packaging. Yes, the quality of the cartons impact your overall costs.2) This was new to me, they’re called INCOterms. Thaxton will explain how to leverage incoterms to create a sense of urgency in delivery but also how you can shift …

In episode 26, we discuss everything you need to know in order to begin designing cannabis packaging. Our guest Jared Mirsky is one of the most well-known cannabis brand agents in the game today. He's shared his story about growing cannabis brands with his team all over the world and has worked with some of the most notable names in the game. Whether you're a seasoned packaging designer or just cutting your first box, cannabis if a whole new ballgame. You need to understand the industry and st...

We speak with Logan Steinfeld, Staples' Manager of Product Design who oversees product development and packaging design to understand not only what packaging guidelines are for, but what they entail. Logan's team recently launched a 300+ page set of packaging guidelines for Coastwide, a facilities solutions company under the Staples umbrella of brands. Learn what's included in these 300 pages, why they are so important and why a brand would invest this much time and effort into such an in-dept...

1) What is the product and how many skus will there be to start?For example if the product is a pair of sun glasses and it comes in 10 colors, those are 10 SKUs you will be designing packaging for. 2) How Much? What will the product retail for?The retail price is an indicator to how much the brand may invest in the packaging. It also allows you to analyze the appropriate competitive landscape. Having a baseline for retail pricing can help to begin determining materials, processes, and produc...

Deon Mixon, like so many other designers of color have experienced being the the only African American designer in a design class, a design agency, and in front of the client. Deon developed DesignEye | The Graphic Design Education Game to introduce youth of color to design as a way to communicate concepts, ideas, and introduce them to the possibilities design creates for your future. Deon: "But one thing I never failed to notice was: (1) I'm one of a very few Black American graphic designers in...

We've all seen those Boxed Water is Better milk cartons, but are they really better? Can they be recycled and how much does that packaging design actually reduce the product's carbon footprint? Find out by listening to the latest episode of Package Design Unboxd. Rob Koenen, CMO of Boxed Water is Better shares a few key stats from the brand as well as the materials used to create the carton and how Boxed Water is looking to the future of sustainability. Contact Boxed Water is Better: hello@boxed...

How do you design packaging while working from home? After watching the most recent Underdogs video about Apple's project Pandora I thought it was a good time to share how working from home has changed the package design process. Watch the underdogs video here if you haven't already seen it: https://youtu.be/6_pru8U2RmM We discuss project management, packaging prototypes, and 3D renders for packaging presentations. I share what's worked for me to become more efficient in working from home from s...

1) The first one that will help you save money is buying packaging directly from manufacturers. What I mean is today most brands are buying through a reseller, sourcing agent, some type of middleman. You’re paying 15 - 25% for the customer service. These resellers also have to source the packaging and find the cheapest factories that allow them to maintain their margins, meaning your packaging isn’t always being produced in the same factory. The risk here is that even your reseller isn’t in cont...

We speak to Mike Cessario about the packaging design for Liquid Death and how they've taken social media haters and made them their biggest source of online marketing featuring Liquid Death's packaging design. We discuss everything from packaging to why so few designers launch their own brands. Designers looking to launch their own brand need to understand the value they bring to the table, where they need help, and how to find it. Mike shares how he launched this brand with Photoshop, a $1500 c...

Part 2 of 10 Lessons for Packaging with Foil. April Lytle or Kurz Transfer Products and I provide key insights into how to use foil when designing packaging. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the Podcast. If you’ve ever designed packaging with textures and foils, you know there’s a learning curve to doing it right. I want to bring you the opportunity to gain these insights as quickly as possible. I’m joined by April Lytel with Kurz Transfer Products, Kurz has been making foils since the ...

William Kang and Adrian Ng co-founders of Aether NY talk to us to share their history and celebrate their recent win at the Dieline Awards for clear spirits packaging design. The beautiful bottle for Source One Vodka set a new standard in geometric bottle design, but their not limited to packaging design. Aether NY has launched many Augmented Reality systems and brand forward apps, Aether NY is moving packaging into whole new territories in user experiences. Listen to learn just how to combine t...

If you’ve ever designed packaging with textures and foils, you know there’s a learning curve to doing it right. I want to bring you the opportunity to gain these insights as quickly as possible. I’m joined by April Lytel with Kurz Transfer Products, Kurz has been making foils since the 1800’s so they know a thing or two about foil. Today’s - 10 Lessons for designing with Foil is split into 2 parts to keep it short and actionable. Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Show Links: April Lytle on LinkedIn: ...

What does it take to design award winning packaging that delivers an ROI for online and in-store packaging? Get a behind the scenes look at Beardwood & Co.'s process for redesigning Hill's Science Diet packaging that spanned over 900 SKUs around the world. Understand the decisions and strategy that drove the packaging design and how to navigate design for a global online market. Connect with Sarah Williams: Beardwood : https://beardwood.com LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/SarahBeardwood Connect with E...

Ever wonder where to get started on sustainable design? Well, this episode of Package Design Unboxd gives you a lot to think about as we dive into sustainable design with Katie Kubrak of Nirvana CPH. Everything from streamlining design for efficiency, understanding material lifecycles, to mono-material design. Buckle in those ear pods and get ready to take notes. These Ten Commandments of Sustainable Design are a great way to get started learning how to develop sustainable packaging designs that...

Ever want to know what it takes to win a packaging competition? Adam Ryan, the Head of Pentawards joins us to discuss exactly what it takes to enter and get noticed by the judges. We get a behind the scenes view of how the judging happens and who some of the judges are. Connect: Adam Ryan on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-ryan-a14108103/ Pentawards : https://pentawards.com/ Follow us on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PackageDesignUnboxd/ And connect with me, Evelio Mattos on Li...

We speak to Katie Kubrak, Materials and Insights Producer with Nirvana CPH. Learn how CMF and MDD drive innovation in packaging design, and create consumer connections. Dive into Coatings, Materials, and Finishes before we transition into the Material Driven Design to create a tangible experience for product and packaging. No matter if you're just starting out or a seasoned pro, this episode will help you rethink the way you consider packaging. Listen, rate, review, and subscribe! Connect with K...

Woolcool is a new packaging material that's been used for thermal insulation for over 13,000 years. Today it's replacing polystyrene foam insulation one box at a time. Learn what woolcool is and how this 100% natural material can keep food and pharmaceutical shipments below 40 degrees for days. We speak to Josie Morris, Managing Director of Woolcool to find out more about their sustainable mission to replace polystyrene insulation. Learn more about Woolcool here: https://www.woolcool.com Conne...

We speak to Jess Williams, Founder and Creative Director of Communal Creative in NYC, a branding agency with a passion for storytelling. Learn how the team at Communal Creative immerses itself into each brand to unearth a resonating story that can be supported at every touch point of the consumer journey. Jess's experience as Creative Director for Thrillist and early stage Birchbox give her the insight to build startups into brands. Be prepared to take notes! Connect with Jess: LinkedIn: https:...

We speak with Valerie Hawks, Head of Production & Sustainability @ Interact Boulder to understand how production supports design in executing at the highest level. We discuss the importance of getting your hands dirty and learning the language of production and manufacturing. Learn where to begin a career in packaging production. Keep up with Valerie online: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-hawks-137865/ Interact Boulder: https://interactboulder.com Sustainable Packaging Coalition: ...

We speak with Brandi Parker, Head of Realization @ Pearlfisher where she manages a team that converts designs and ideas into reality. Her extensive knowledge of packaging design and production allows her to know what questions to ask even before a project begins and how to provide designers the direction they need. Learn how to begin your path into a career of production design and packaging as well as how to round out your design knowledge by leaning into packaging manufacturing. Keep up with B...

Speaking with Alex Center founder of Center Brooklyn and former Design Director at a little brand named Coke, is a lesson in how to build confidence and surround yourself with the right people to create opportunities in design. We discuss how not studying at an art school is a badge of honor many of us in the design world wear as well as the value and craft of creative production. Alex shares how designing based on gut instincts at a start-up named Vitamin Water changed once you level-up to a m...

Everyone talks about sustainable packaging, but what exactly is it? Well, that depends, and our guest Tom Szaky agrees as sustainability depends on many factors. In this episode we discuss what is sustainability, the business of recycling, and most importantly what designers need to know in order to design sustainable packaging. Tom Szaky is globally recognized for his eco-entrepreneurial successes that allowed some of the world's largest brands to partner with him to reduce packaging waste. If ...