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Value-adding DVD wins Korsnäs’ PIDA Germany design competition

Engaging themes in a jam-packed room
Prizes were awarded at a customer event at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart at the end of April, where the presence of many well known packaging personalities ensured a capacity crowd. Hans-Georg Böcher, director of the Deutsches Verpackungsmuseum, gave an entertaining lecture on branding strategy entitled “Why do products want to be loved?” Lars Wallentin, a packaging guru with 40 years’ experience as a packaging designer at Nestlé, provided 10 pieces of sound packaging advice that served as the basis for a subsequent panel debate which he led. Wallentin emphasised the importance of design, discussing not only the growing role of packaging as a communicator at the expense of advertising, but how to achieve synergies between media. The panel debate looked at the issues from various perspectives, and the audience was invited to contribute their opinions using mentometer buttons. There’s no doubt about it: packaging is a topic that engages an audience.

Yippee!
The highpoint of the day was the award ceremony. All the entries came with thorough documentation describing their packaging concepts and proposed target groups. Jury chairman Roman Klis underscored the high quality of the entries, and when he announced the first prize winner, the winners broke the tension with a spontaneous yelp of joy. “Though this packaging is not luxurious in any traditional sense, it must seem like the height of luxury to the intended target group,” said Roman Klis.

Everybody’s a winner
“PIDA may be a competition with a jury awarding prizes, but there are many winners,” says Annica Alexanderson of Korsnäs. “The students have a chance to show their creativity to a larger audience and make a good impression on future employers. We at Korsnäs and our customers have a chance to see the students’ fresh ideas. PIDA is a great source of new ideas and new contacts.”

PIDA – Packaging Impact Design Award
Since 1994, Korsnäs (formerly Frövi) has been arranging design competitions for students from Spain, Sweden and the UK with a focus on packaging design. Its cooperative relationship with Spain (Escola Massana) was transferred to Pro Carton in 2004. In conjunction with the Swedish Year of Design 2005, when the Swedish government was actively promoting design projects, PIDA was born and several universities became involved. Spurred on by popularity, the competition has grown and this year is being held in Sweden, Germany and France. In the UK, Korsnäs collaborates with Marks & Spencer in sponsoring a category of the Student Starpack Award.

Korsnäs manufactures liquid packaging board, folding cartonboard, white top kraft liner, sack paper and kraft paper. Korsnäs is Europe’s second-largest manufacturer of virgin-fibre based cartonboard with a brown reverse side, and the world’s second-largest manufacturer of liquid packaging board. The company has four board and paper machines with a total capacity of 1.1 million tonnes annually and turnover of €750 million. 90% of the company’s production is exported to over 70 countries. Korsnäs employs almost 1,900 people.