First Glance

Published: June 30, 2006, By PFFC staff

Products

Showing Off Paper
Mohawk Fine Papers, Cohoes, NY, wanted to make sure shoppers get the message: There is something special in the Strathmore package. To that end, Mohawk worked with package designer Pentagram (New York, NY) to create a ream wrap that would grab attention, says Laura Shore, Mohawk’s senior VP communications. “It was important to retain visual brand equity…but also connect the package to a more contemporary sensibility.” Adds Pentagram partner Abbott Miller, “Our redesign of the Strathmore packaging reaches back to the use of the thistle throughout [the paper’s] history but renders it as a lush full-color photograph.…The historic ‘blueness’ of Strathmore is captured with a light, watery blue that gives the packaging a slightly retro glamor.”

Scent of a Product
Ever wonder what “Spring Fresh” or “Country Garden” actually smells like? Shoppers now can sample the aroma of products with names like these, without opening the package or compromising the product, thanks to Rub ’N Smell printed sleeve labels from Gilbreth, Croydon, PA. The labels are dormant until a prospective customer rubs on it gently, activating tiny, embedded fragrance beads that represent the product inside. The released fragrance dissipates quickly, and successive repeat rubbings will not impair the label’s ability to release aromas or harm the printed graphics.

Design for Discs
A family of disc packaging solutions is offered by Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, New York, NY. The J2 design features two slide-out disc trays that lock in place when opened but slide back in easily. The package is available in three styles for CDs and DVDs. The J2 gives brand marketers a canvas for album or feature notes, graphics, and promotional messages. All three packages are available with paperboard slip cases that provide even more billboard space.