Spotlight: International Paper
Packaging these days is mostly about creating an instant connection between products and people. It’s also about conveying an attitude in the few seconds your audience spends glancing up from their smartphones. Your creative design work is a huge part of that equation, and so is your choice of substrate. Fortunately for designers everywhere, International Paper has shared two very different ways to capture the hearts and minds of today’s modern consumer: Heavyweights by George premium papers, and attention-grabbing augmented reality. When used together, they are absolutely irresistible.
The Premium Paper with the Natural Look
With your clients’ products competing in more and more channels, one of your biggest challenges is getting them noticed. When most boxes out there are glossy beacons trying to outshine one another, the package that will grab the most attention is the one that dares to go “au naturel”—the uncoated one.
Reacting to consumer demand, industries as diverse as beauty, beer/wine/spirits and food are all starting to move toward natural, uncoated packaging.
The “natural” look doesn’t just differentiate one box from the rest; the texture of the paper conveys a handmade quality to the eye and the fingertips simultaneously. Nothing says “luxury” in a digital world quite like “natural.” It’s one thing to simply call your whiskey “hand-selected” on the label, it’s quite another to package it in a dignified box that looks as sophisticated as that whiskey tastes.
There is one paper line that enables you to have it all: a natural look with excellent printability and outstanding converting performance. International Paper’s Heavyweights by George features attractive uncoated papers that boast a natural toothy finish.
It certainly caught the eyes of many brands and designers at Luxe Pack New York last month, says By George Brand Manager Phil Slesinski. “We see more and more brands turning to uncoated, beater-dyed packaging options like by George to convey a natural appearance that consumers want while retaining the premium appearance that will differentiate and elevate their product in the marketplace.”
In addition, Heavyweights by George:
- Features a premium uncoated, tactile finish
- Beautifully handles embossing, foil stamping, gluing and laminating
- Is strong enough to endure scoring and folding without cracking
- Is available in a collection of machine-dyed colors, including Natural Kraft and Deep Black.
Packaging that Speaks for Itself
There IS a way to enjoy both the pleasing, tactile aspects of packaging printed on a premium uncoated sheet AND the dynamic, attention grabbing qualities of the digital world, and that’s through the magic of augmented reality (AR). This technology enables you to create a digital layer of text, images or video over your packaging that is visible through internet-connected devices. It takes your clients’ consumer engagement to the next level.
International Paper created a mesmerizing experience with AR for Luxe Pack NY attendees.
They began with two intriguing prism-shaped boxes cleverly designed to transform into a hexagon when fitted together. Made from Heavyweights by George in their two most popular colors, Deep Black and Natural Kraft, the boxes featured an imaginative undersea theme, including illustrations of fish, bubbles, aquatic flora and the silhouette of a whimsical mermaid.
Luxe Pack guests couldn’t help but stop at International Paper’s booth for a closer look where they were encouraged to view the boxes through the Wikitude app – an action that promptly made the mermaid and all her friends come alive on screen!
Visitors were blown away. They instantly recognized the power of what they’d just experienced: the one-two punch of eye-catching packaging and sale-clinching interactivity. What’s more, they immediately recognized the value this powerful combination could bring to their own clients.
Like most brilliant pieces of packaging, IP’s mermaid box can only truly be appreciated in person. [CLOSED] Enter to win one of 25 sets of AR mermaid boxes right now! (Each set contains one Deep Black and one Natural Kraft package.) Hurry, contest ends June 28th! (North American entries only, please.)
