Stora Enso Oyj : Stora Enso announces the winner of the Recreate Packaging 2014 design competition

Stora Enso announces the winner of the Recreate Packaging 2014 design competition:
Have a nice trip!
The beauty care travel packaging concept "Have a Nice Trip" by German designer Arthur Schmidt has won the first prize of EUR 8 000 in the Recreate Packaging 2014 design competition. According to the jury, the winning design was the most traveller-friendly solution among all 118 entries. The moisture-proof primary dose packs of shampoo, shower gel and body lotion are covered by a protective sleeve that offers generous printing space for branding and communication.

"The package is simple and easy to use, logistically efficient and protects the contents well. The concept could be easily incorporated in a beauty care product family as a supplementary travel version. It is surprising that we have not seen such a solution in the market before," the jury said. The international expert jury of seven representatives from the beauty care, transport, packaging and design business sectors evaluated the competition entries based on their functionality, market potential, innovative use of materials and suitability for production, retail and logistics.

Recreate Packaging was organised for the second time by Stora Enso and Aalto University's International Design Business Management (IDBM) Program to challenge conventional thinking and the use of materials in packaging. "A key motivator of the competition was the recognition that current packaging practices and solutions are not always innovative and do not use the full potential of new materials and design," said the head of the jury, Prof. Mikko Koria of the International Design Business Management (IDBM) Program at Aalto University School of Business.

"It was impressive to see how the contestants were able to fold the competition materials, Ensocoat and corrugated board, into the most innovative and impressive shapes and forms," said Lasse Johansson, VP Commercial, Stora Enso Consumer Board. "The designs from Recreate Packaging serve as our inspiration and are attracting interest from our end-user customers across all segments. They are a platform for discussions on completely new packages and I look forward to seeing some of these designs being further developed and finding their way to retailers' shelves shortly. I hope to see one or two of them in my own hand luggage."

Other winners and honorary mentions
Second prize in Recreate Packaging 2014 was granted to "Travel Shaver", a shaving product kit designed by a team made up of freelance designers Ville Merisalo and Antti Ojala together with August Salo, a student of the Lahti Institute of Design, from Finland. The suggested packaging solution for liquid, gel and aftershave products offers the possibility to use a combination of renewable carton board and corrugated materials instead of plastic packaging, and enhances the user experience in many ways.

Third prize was won by Duncan K. Anderson and Jenna Parkkinen, students of the Lahti Institute of Design, Finland. The jury liked the shape and functionality of their concept, called "Reloaded", which uses barrier-coated board for primary packaging and corrugated board for secondary packaging. The concept is also suitable for other product segments, from cosmetics and beauty care to confectionery and foods, consumed at home or on the go.

The Recreate Packaging jury also gave three honorary mentions: the "Pocket Travel Kit" by Marta Wrzodak, a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland; "Get&Go" by Ivan Pajares, Jordi Ros and Koldobika Goikoetxea, students of ELISAVA, Spain; and  "?" by Serena Bonomi, a student from IED Design Milano, Italy. Read more at recreatepackaging.com.

Interview with competition winner Arthur Schmidt
Arthur Schmidt, designer of "Have A Nice Trip" and winner of the first prize in Recreate Packaging 2014:

"I studied graphic design in Saarbrücken and worked for different companies creating designs for printed products. Frankly speaking, I had never developed design for packaging before, so it was a big challenge for me. On the other hand, it might have been an advantage, as I was able to start my project with a clean sheet.

"I worked with the materials that were provided with great pleasure and it was quite easy. I believe that moisture-proof primary packaging made of board has great potential in the global market. In addition, I am sure that this kind of paperboard and corrugated board will replace plastics in many fields of packaging in the future.

"Speaking about travelling, I would say that a simple form plays a very important role. That is why I created packaging for a beauty products set that can be ordered online and sent to the customer easily by post. Thanks to the sleek envelope form I suggested, the set can be easily transported in luggage, too. No one wants to spend too much time unpacking beauty products when travelling!"

Recreate Packaging 2014 Jury
Heiner Gers-Barlag, Group Manager, Packaging Innovation, Beiersdorf AG
Timo Pulkkinen, Country Manager, FedEx Finland Branch
Irinel Ionescu, Creative Partner, AMPRO DESIGN/EPDA member
Ilona Törmikoski, Independent Design Consultant, Polku Consulting/ORNAMO member
Mikko Koria, Professor, Head of the IDBM Master's program at Aalto University School of Business
Ilkka Harju, Manager, Stora Enso Renewable Packaging
Lasse Johansson, VP Commercial, Stora Enso Renewable Packaging

Further information www.recreatepackaging.com