19Apr

The Secret to Producing Memorable Print

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Most people think great design is the key to producing amazing print.

Great design is only half the battle. In my opinion, the reason many print projects fail isn’t because of the design. It’s because of a lack of detail.

Designers who are known for creating amazing print design, are involved in every aspect of the process – from concept through to production. And that includes specifying and sometimes even sourcing the paper.

For some of you, this may seem like a no brainer. But I’d ask you, how often are you settling for the printer’s house sheet on your work? Be honest. When was the last time you actually had work produced on the paper you envisioned using and specified for the job?

You can blame it on a lack of budget, availability issues, or a tight deadline. Those are just excuses. Every print project faces those same challenges.

The truly memorable, award winning work excels not in spite of, but because of those challenges.

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31Mar

Craft Beer Branding Guide – a Collaboration of Print, Digital & Beer

 

 

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With one new brewery opening every day, craft beer has to be one of the hottest markets for design. From logo design to website to product packaging, each element plays an important role in the success of any startup. And craft beer is no different. But the key to standing out in a crowded market comes down to one important aspect, branding. To insure success, a new brewery must define critical elements like its core values, messaging and positioning. But knowing how to do it all can be overwhelming for any startup. Luckily there’s this great new resource, the Craft Beer Branding Guide from CODO Design & Neenah Packaging.

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27Feb

Design Army Uses Power of Print & Packaging to Create An Experience

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What form of media does the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rely on to welcome new members to the club? Print, of course. And why not? After all print has been proven to form some of the most personal, intimate connections with its audience. The team at Design Army created an experience around becoming a new member to this elite group. See how Design Army used the power of print and packaging to create a special experience for each new member. 

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15Feb

Wondermade Packaging

 

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – packaging design is all about the details. It has to be, especially when it’s geared towards the B2C market. The whole point is to get noticed enough that the consumer actually picks up the product. It’s not enough to merely have an attractive color palette and a standout logo mark – while those are critical elements of branding, they’re table-stakes in the world of packaging design. If you really want a product to get noticed, one needs to create an experience filled with excitement and the promise of delight for the buyer/recipient. And that’s exactly how I felt from the moment I first laid eyes on the Wondermade packaging.

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09Jan

New Year, New Look – New Packaging for The Parcel

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For Parse & Parcel, 2016 was a year filled with inspiration, experimentation, collaboration – and change.

We hosted three events in the sample studio, complete with three large-scale paper installations. Added a new intern to our team. We traveled back and forth to NYC, first to judge the Louie Awards, then later for the National Stationery Show. Connected with design and paper peeps in Atlanta for How Design Live. We got to be a sponsor for AIGA’s Get Out the Vote campaign. We revamped the delivery for our flagship product, The Parcel – shipping four times a year (winter, spring, summer, fall). Learned all about digital metallic inks, tried our hands at letterpress and wrote articles for some of our fave online, and print, publications.

You would think this would be enough to do for one year but not quite…

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Designing the perfect packaging solution for start-ups
08Oct

Designing the Perfect Packaging Solution for a Start-Up

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Image via Studio of Christine Wisnieski

Starting a business is hard. Really hard. I can’t tell you the countless hours I’ve spent developing the concept behind Parse & Parcel. There are so many details and a ton of planning involved. And no matter how much you plan, things are always changing. The tough part is how to plan for change without knowing exactly how things will change. This is a problem every business faces, but it’s especially difficult when you’ve got a physical product and you’re trying to find the perfect packaging solution – and you’re a start-up.

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07Sep

Guide for Creating Memorable Packaging

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Get the Free Guide with our Top Tips for Creating Memorable Packaging

I have a thing for little blue boxes.

Of course, the ubiquitous blue box of Tiffany & Co. makes me swoon. I’ve saved every one I’ve ever gotten. Every. Single. One. (Which is currently four, btw).

Every once in a while I’ll peek inside the drawer I stash them in for safe keeping. Just looking at them makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

But this isn’t anything unusual.

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17Nov

The Difference Between Average and Awesome Comes Down to Character

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Have you ever seen a print promotion so awesome you wanted to kiss it? Ok, maybe that’s taking my adoration of ink on paper a little far but I swear that’s how much I love the new piece, Character, from Neenah Packaging. I know what you’re thinking – Neenah has a crazy budget and if your clients had their budget you’d produce something awesome too. But here’s the thing, it’s not about the budget, it’s about inspiration and execution. After examining this promotion, I am convinced the difference between average and awesome comes down to character.

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12Aug

The Perfect Mix of Black & White with a Touch of Glam

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There’s something about mixing and matching unexpected elements I just love, but it’s not always easy to pull off.  Combining upscale glam with industrial utility, the team at Ghost managed to do just that with the branding they created for The Factory. Like a swanky new year’s eve celebration in the gritty part of the city, this identity and packaging design is the perfect mix of black & white with a touch of glam.

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22Jul

MailChimp Playing Cards

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When I first started email marketing for my previous employer,  we had three e-newsletters we published regularly. Given that our audience was made up largely of commercial printers, we’d get some flack about using email to distribute the content (it was 2008 and anything digital was seen as the enemy). Some customers were constantly complaining about it.  The worst part though was the email marketing solution we used – it was painful. I knew when I started Parse & Parcel I’d still use email (in addition to the USPS) to communicate content and share with our audience, but I couldn’t wait to find a better email marketing solution.  I chose MailChimp because it offered a ton of features. After sending my first email I was smitten, I even convinced my former employer to give it a try. Now I’ve fallen in love with MailChimp all over again, this time for their beautiful use of my favorite media – print!  In collaboration with Fuzzco and Theory11, they’ve gone and created some stunning MailChimp Playing Cards.  

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