Episodes

Today's guest is Andy Kurtts, the founder of Buttermilk Creative, a food & beverage packaging agency based in North Carolina. After leaving his full-time position over 5 years ago he launched Buttermilk Creative. Andy set out to build a solid business foundation before designing his first package. Andy shares how he set up his LLC, website, and where he goes to find clients. Get practical advice on growing your business, finding clients, and even when to make the jump from full-time to founder. ...

Rick Fitzgerald is a cannabis packaging designer, founder of cannabis travel site Inndica.com, and print production wizard. He's worked on hundreds of cannabis brands from around the globe and shares everything he's learned so far. So, if you want to start designing packaging for cannabis, you’re going to love this episode. If you’re already designing packaging for Cannabis, you might learn something too!You’re going to learn 3 super major things.1) State regulations, why you need to work with an experienced cannabis packaging designer2) How designing Child Resistant cannabis packaging can open up a new career path3) The requirements for designing graphics on cannbis packaging.Also gain insight into the cannabis industries future, not to mention Rick drop his prediction for countrywide legalization!Do me a favor:Rate, review, and subscribe.

What the hell is sustainable packaging anyway? Evelio continues the conversation over drinks to help you identify ways to make your packaging more sustainable and building your brand. It's another late night and Evelio's drinking again letting loose on what it means to be sustainable. He breaks down the old adage of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and what that means to a brand and to a designer. You'll get something out of this episode, even if it's just a laugh. Evelio takes sustainability seriousl...

What is the packaging revolution? How sustainability is a communal concept and requires legal enforcement to be effective. Society chooses what it considers sustainable and acts accordingly. The packaging revolution is the waking up of consumers and brands to the realization they've been doing it wrong for many years and in Fabrice's new Book he breaks down each material and packaging structure. Learn what materials are recyclable, how to use new trends to improve your packaging, and what it means to be sustainable.

Everything you need to consider when thinking of deigning sustainable packaging. Materials, processes, questions, and what sustainability even means. Great way to get started.

Jeremy Etchison & Ben Blanchard are the dynamic duo behind SONOS ' Roam packaging. Their team of designers and engineers executed what can be called the future of sustainable tech packaging. A completely recyclable product pack that uses custom paper wrapped corrugated board and molded fiber inserts to cradle and present the ROAM speaker. We discuss how sustainability was the Northstar that led to Sonos' packaging design for the ROAM and all future Sonos products. We learn about custom papers, m...

Packaging designers have a superpower no other designer has. The ability to reach into the future and create it today. Learn the strategies Clark McDowall use to design packaging for Mars owned Nutro Pet Foods and legacy brand Palmolive. How to spot packaging trends without falling in love with transient trends? Applying this strategic vision to designing packaging with longevity and relevance to build a Future-Ready brand. Nutro Packaging Design: We discuss designing packaging for large to smal...

Want to know how agencies are designing packaging for the future? Where do packaging innovations breed? Where do you find packaging inspiration? If you’re interested in designing forward thinking packaging that goes beyond just making bags and boxes, you gotta listen to this episode. We talk with Daniel Lowe founder of Someone and Others, a design studio based in LA working on some of the countries most cutting edge brands. Listen today and you’re going to walk away with some inspiration and lea...

Learn what happens to packaging after it's picked for recycling and how to design packaging that increases the chances of actually being recycled. This episode digs into the reality of the recycling and composting systems in place today world wide. Simon Van Leuven is Vanden Recycling's Director of Australia and an expert in plastics collection and recycling. Follow Simon on linkedIn.

Learn what it takes to design, buy, and launch packaging for a start-up. we discuss numbers, concepts, and next steps.

In our conversation about packaging design for Pride month with Zipeng Zhu, why men's body wash has grip, and why it's important to share your work to build your network. You'll also get, How Zipeng Zhu selects colors when designing packaging, fashion, or digital? Here's a secret his current favorite color is yolk :) Harry's razors hired Zipeng Zhu to develop the packaging for the recent Pride packaging as well as developing all of the merchandise. Understand why design matters and how creative ...

What is a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and how can you use it to make packaging decisions? If you're a packaging buyer, a packaging designer, or packaging manufacturer this episode shares insights into the LCA process as well as the value of having a human in the loop to balance the data. What questions impact data and how understanding the key areas of consumerism can determine the right packaging for you. Learn how Medoola saves global consumer brands millions on packaging, retail, and supply cha...

AB InBev's Global Director of Innovation - Packaging, Keenan Thompson shares the process their Global Innovation Technology team uses for designing packaging. We get deep into the process and take apart what innovation actually means. How to take disparate information and mold it into the future when you have the right team at the table. We discuss the team's recent packaging innovation for Corona which uses agri-waste to make the board for the 6 pack carriers. We discuss the testing of the tech...

What is a luxury paper and what should you look for when choosing a material for your packaging design? Annette Clayton with Fedrigoni Papers shares how materials can make a consumer feel through tactility and design.

Packaging design powerhouse Enlisted Design has designed packaging for brands like All Birds, Fridababy, Linksys, and so many other brands. Beau Oyler CEO of Enlisted shares their approach to designing product and packaging under the same roof. Enlisted isn't just a packaging design agency, they develop and engineer products and establish the branding, delivering the complete turn key product. We also learn about the power of Enlisted Design's tools for capturing user data from e-commerce intera...

The number one rated plastics material expert, Dr. Chris DeArmitt talks about his research on plastic and plastic packaging waste. We discuss how to reduce waste, recycle more packaging, and what questions to ask when considering paper over plastics. According to Chris, his research shows that plastic is the greenest material available for most cases. Listen and you be the judge. This episode is a real game-changer, everything you thought you knew might not be as you expect when you follow the f...

NOTPLA is a seaweed based material used for packaging liquids and now is being turned into heatsealable films that are completely biodegradable and edible. The zero plastics movement is growing and NOTPla is helping the packaging industry look at new ways to develop materials and packagign that does not look like anything we've ever seen. Pierre Paslier is the co-founder and CEO of NOTPla, join us as we learn what NOTPla is doing now, that verticals it serves, and what is in the pipeline for fut...

Why did McDonald's need a packaging redesign, what was being solved, or how long ago did this project kick-off? we get into the details with Matt Sia, Creative Director at Pearlfisher. We discuss Matt's sketching, the pitch meeting, how the designers are presented, and really what it feels like to overhaul one of the biggest brands on earth. The good and the bad. In this episode you get to here it straight from the Creative Director behind the McDonald's packaging redesign, so tune in and grab y...

Have you ever wondered how packaging designs and brands navigate timelines And manage all of the moving parts of the complex packaging industry? Have you ever tried to manage your own packaging project from design to manufacturing? Well then you know why project managers are the superstars of the packaging industry. Today we speak with the Project Executioner herself, Megan Gamble a packaging project manager based in Atlanta with clients around the globe. We discuss all of the unseen pitfalls yo...

A big part in packaging design is selecting materials. Are the materials strong enough, flexible enough, do they produce the right amount of cushion? But beyond the protective properties of packaging, we need packaging to connect with consumers and the fastest way to do that is through touch. Selecting paper is an artform. Selecting paper for its printability, scuff reduction, and texture that can communicate emotion is critical. In Episode #40 of Package Design Unboxd, we speak to Sabine Lenz o...

When it comes to packaging design education there are many paths to take and many times we're unclear with where those paths can take you. In this episode we discuss packaging education and the program Gerardo Herrera has built at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California. Art Center focuses on establishing a solid foundation of design, process, and critical thinking in it's to packaging design. Staffed by professional designers the packaging program walks students through the basics i...

When you hear the term circular packaging design or circular economy, many people confuse it to mean recycling. Even though the recycling logo is a möbius loop, the process is generally linear, not circular. In this episode we talk with Paul Foulkes-Arellano founder of Circuthon , founder of the Sustainable Design Alliance , and an advisor at A Plastic Planet . A Plastic Planet as of this recording just helped Unilever's Dove launch their first refillable deodorant packaging. Also check out Pau...