Could dissolvable packaging be the key to ending our reliance on plastic?
Innovative designers are working to create packaging materials that simply disappear in water — here, three of them talk methods, potential and uses, from tampons to noodles.
Packaging
The biggest packaging design stories, from food and drink packaging to new trends in environmental sustainability and the latest debates around unbranded cigarette packets.
Popp Studio combines luxury and accessibility for pet care brand Be:Loved
The range of soaps, candles and balms for animals takes its aesthetic cues from the world of aspirational beauty, according to the studio.
Design inspiration: the best projects from August
From an online carnival, to coronavirus solutions and a peaceful reimagining of violent flags, designers’ creative offerings in August were diverse. Here’s what caught our eye.
Seymourpowell rebrands cult canned drink Nurishment for broader audience
The new look for the milk-based drink includes a “decluttered” visual identity, an updated packaging format and a focus on taste.
Holsten beer gets a “handcrafted” redesign from Design Bridge
A new visual identity for the Hamburg-based beer brand hopes to revive its declining reputation and engage a more youthful demographic.
Design Week’s favourite projects from graduate season so far – part two
Graduate season is in full swing now, so we’ve rounded up our favourite projects from the most recently opened online showcases.
Design inspiration: the best projects from July
This month we were enamoured with offerings from across the design spectrum, from minimalist signage and intricate book illustrations, to sleek lighting and bold large-scale installations.
IDEO wants designers to develop the plastic bag of the future
The international consultancy has teamed up with Closed Loop and several US retailers to offer innovators a share of $1 million (£794,000) in funding for their ideas.
Sunhouse puts a “new spin” on Twister ice lolly identity
The new look for the brand aims to reposition it as “permissible treat”, and comes with a redrawn wordmark, rethought imagery and updated packaging.
Redesigning surfaces for a COVID-proof future
These designers are rethinking the surfaces we touch and turning them into COVID-killing materials, which can be fabricated as familiar objects.
CBD company Lady A aims for luxury market with identity by NB Studio
The CBD company – which is “by women for women” – has branding that resists the more bohemian tropes of CBD and leans into luxury instead.
WRAP launches second round of £1.4 million circular plastics grant programme
The funding is in partnership with UKRI, and will award up to £150,000 to projects which “trial ways to implement refill infrastructure”.
A gin brand that celebrates the “geological tapestry” of the Peak District
The identity for Shivering Mountain takes inspiration from the geological and botanical influences on the area, and introduces the world to the concept of “ginology”.
Astrid Stavro’s “tongue in cheek” identity for cereal brand OffLimits
The “next-gen” cereal brand has been branded by the graphic designer alongside illustrations from Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One.
Branding and Black Lives Matter: will change be more than skin deep?
Headline-grabbing rebrands of Uncle Ben’s and Aunt Jemima show change in brand-land, but a real overhaul requires sustained effort from the design world.
Design Week’s favourite projects from graduate season so far
The Class of 2020 has had an unprecedented end to their university careers but the work from this year’s grad shows impresses all the same – here’s our favourites so
Design Week Awards 2020 — the shortlist in full
We’re excited to announce the full shortlist for our awards below. Stay tuned later in the month for our winners showcase, which will be revealed here on the site as
Design inspiration: the best projects from May
From pub-scented candles, to Polaroid chemistry and a weekly cartoon strip inspired by the bubonic plague, this is what designers got up to last month.
This olive oil brand identity “celebrates feminine individuality”
Superunion has created a visual identity as well as bottle design for the Puglia-based farm to mark the appointment of its first female CEO.
Letterbox deliveries are booming. How are designers meeting these new demands?
You can get wine, laundry capsules and deodorant posted through your letterbox now, and it’s testing traditional ideas of product and packaging design.
The world’s first plastic-free deodorant refill is made of bamboo pulp
Designed by Morrama studio, Wild is a compostable refill deodorant that takes aim at the cosmetic industry’s waste problem.
Design Week Awards extended until 27 March
As Coronavirus disrupted working patterns so much last week we’re giving you a few more days to get your entries together.
How could the coronavirus affect design-led companies?
Economic repercussions of the global virus outbreak on companies are likely to be “severe”. Could “agile” supply chains be the answer?
Holly Kielty: "Brands need to stop ignoring women over 50"
Design Bridge director of storytelling Holly Kielty says that women over 50 have become a “forgotten audience” who they can no longer afford to ignore.