Greetings!
Welcome to the December issue of The Venturer. I'm sure you're like me, and are busy "making your lists and checking them twice." This upcoming holiday is going to be a very special one for me, as I am a new father. It will be our first Christmas celebrated with our seven-year-old daughter, who just weeks ago, we brought home with us from Russia.
What little girl isn't going to love opening up her beautifully packaged presents? However, as a packaging expert, I can't even think about opening up those dolls and toys without preparing for that yearly dreaded Christmas morning phenomenon, no not the hangover, but the onslaught of "wrap rage." You know, that traditional holiday behavior that causes heightened levels of anger and frustration resulting from the inability to open those beautifully wrapped gifts without the help of scissors, or, in extreme cases, a chainsaw? Oh, don't get me started...
You can read more about my thoughts on "wrap rage" in my new Expert Design blog in Fast Company, where I will tell you what can be done to improve the overall packaging brand experience, and how some companies are moving in this direction. Or, you can tune in on Monday, December 14th at 12:40pm when I will continue discussing "wrap rage" on Fox Business.
My Christmas wish has certainly been answered this year and I hope yours will be as well. Happy Holidays to you and your family and wishing you a joyous, and "wrap rage" free Christmas.
Best Regards,
Peter
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Fast Company Selects Peter Clarke as Expert Design Blogger
The Rhythm of Design: How Being a Marine Drummer Set My Lifetime Creative Tempo
Who would have thought my training as a young man in the U.S. Marine Corps Band would prepare me to become the founder of a structural packaging agency? Back when I was doing the barbed wire crawl with my M16 or providing the drum beat for a pass and review ceremony, I certainly didn't expect that someday these experiences would help me shape many of the world's best known brands. It was this early foundation of discipline, creative performance, demanding expectations, and commitment to excellence that set the stage for my career in design. Read More
Stay tuned for my next blog.
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Peter Clarke on FOX Business
Peter Clarke returns to Fox Business to explain the reasons for Wrap Rage on 12/14/09 and what we can expect in the future.
See his previous segment where he covers the trends facing the packaging industry today; from sustainability and the environment to greenwashing and downsizing, he urges companies to retain consumer loyalty by providing straight-forward and honest packaging claims. As the architect behind the brands, his company, Product Ventures, helps to shape brands for success and to stand out from the competition.
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Oreck ProShield™ Air Purifier Selected as a Finalist for the 2010 Housewares Design Awards
Product Ventures was challenged by Oreck to redesign the existing OreckŪ XL Professional Air Purifier to increase the unit's in-home use and overall versatility. The new stylish air purifier, with its dual orientation, is designed to fit either vertically or horizontally into any room in the home.
Click Here to Read the News Release
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Bissell Bottle Redesign Heralded on Greener Package Website
Product Ventures holistically designs packaging structure and graphics as Bissell's new 2x Concentrated Formula Bottles take the environmental lead in the Category. Product Ventures was brought in by Bissell Homecare Inc., to redesign the existing carpet care cleaning solution to address environmental requests by customers and also by Bissell's own desire to improve the sustainability of their package. The new 2X concentrated formulas and new half-size bottles provide the same cleaning power in half the packaging of the non-concentrated formulas, which ultimately reduce the burden of plastic on the environment.
Click Here to Read the Article
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Walmart Packaging Push Significantly Reduces Impact on the Environment
Product Ventures applauds Walmart for their strong sustainability initiative.
A senior Walmart executive said that a drive to cut packaging on toys saved the retailer some $3.5 million in transportation costs last Christmas, a major gain to the bottom line the company won from its sustainability initiative. The slimmer packaging, in some cases amounting to as little as a one-inch reduction in the cardboard that houses individual toys bound from Asian factories to the United States, added up to 727 fewer ocean containers for the retailing giant. The company is developing what it calls a "sustainability index" to measure the impact of its goods on the environment, and expects that index to be released sometime in the new year.
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Earthbound Farms switches to 100% PCR Plastic for its Clamshell Packaging
Earthbound Farms' switch to 100% PCR for its clamshells is a good move from an environmental perspective. The reuse of material that would otherwise need to be discarded or incinerated for disposal not only lessens waste, or in the case of incineration, reduces emissions, but also consumes much less energy than making the product from virgin raw materials. It would be even better if they could go one step further and eliminate the use of a rigid clamshell altogether and move to a flexible solution. Click Here to Read the Article
For Questions or Inquiries contact:
Eric Hartman, Director of Technology & Development
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