I was holding on to summer for as long as I could, but fall is officially here, which means the pumpkin-flavored everything has infiltrated everything, and the Halloween aisle is switching to Christmas soon.

Packaging design, meanwhile, had a month full of surprises. September brought some legal drama, unexpected collaborations, and some bigger conversations about where design is headed.

Colgate made a better toothpaste tube and got sued for it, Jessica Hische weighed in on Meta’s Muse and the ethical landmines of AI in design, and Liquid Death’s Mike Cessario made the case that Americans are ready for sparkling wine in a can. Some beloved classics got a glow-up too, with Little Big Brands giving Chef Boyardee a fresh refresh, 7UP Lemonade going pretty in pink, and us asking the question on everyone’s mind: why isn’t the Laughing Cow laughing?