When I entered the
field of packaging design some 20 years ago there were few, if any,
examples of packaging like the ones we see today. The small number
of iconic packages at the time existed in low-volume, high-margin categories
such as beauty care and spirits. Within food and beverage, personal
care and fabric & home care, packaging was viewed as an expense
and not as a value-added brand ambassador. Though packaging’s
importance to the brand has made great strides, the struggle over cost
continues, as unrealistic timelines and naĂŻve expectations are driven
by the short tenure of marketing leadership and lack of long term strategic
packaging vision.
Early on in
my career as an industrial designer, I saw the potential for packaging
to make a significant contribution to brands and to the people that
use them. I clamored for the opportunity to apply my training
in styling, ergonomics, and materials & processes to turn the mundane
into the iconic, annoyance into pleasure, and the useless into the essential.
This led to the founding of my company, Product Ventures 15 years ago,
with the goal of turning labeled containers into value-added delivery
systems. Since then I have continually been honored to help many
notable companies with their best known brands.
