For another consecutive year Dion Label Printing has exhibited at the Natural Products Expo East Tradeshow.  From October 14-16^th Dion exhibited in booth #3233 held in the Boston Convention Center.  Though only 1,300 exhibitors, 200 less than last year, exhibited, the show maintained its popularity with over 20,000 attendees.  Visitors were especially interested in Dion’s pressure sensitive label options, shrink sleeves and labeling equipment. To request samples or additional information, click this link! Next year’s Expo East will wave farewell to Boston and return to Baltimore, Maryland from September 21^st- 24^th  2011. 

For the full article and recap of Expo East 2010 visit their homepage.

The DuPont Award winners for 2010 were just announced at the end of May, continuing the virtual forum format from last year. The winners proved breakthroughs in packaging with innovative developments, cost/waste reduction and improved sustainability. Diamond winners proved excellence in all three areas while Gold winners demonstrated excellence in two criteria. Silver winners were selected for their breakthrough innovation, and notable honorees were given recognition for innovative problem solving. 

Only two submissions were given the prestigious honor of a Diamond DuPont award: the GREENBOX reusable thermal management system, a sustainably-produced container used to transport sensitive medical supplies, as well as Exal Corporation’s “Coil to Can” (C2C) recyclable aluminum bottle.

To see all of the award-winning packaging innovators, click here.

Just yesterday we commended Wal-mart for their eco-friendly practices, but for a huge corporation like Wal-mart, much of their initiative is based on requiring that their suppliers reduce their carbon footprint. The Sustainability Index Supplier Assessment that Wal-mart announced last year includes a 15-question survey to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; Wal-mart hopes to reduce this by 20 million metric tons. It seems to be an important first step before Wal-mart can implement the “Green” ratings that will disclose the eco-friendliness of products to consumers.

It may sound like Wal-mart is simply bullying their suppliers to make the company look good. In actuality, Wal-mart’s own practices include: using onsite renewable energy generation, reducing shipping and packaging waste, reducing truck fleet emissions, and more. If Wal-mart is successful in achieving their GHG emission reduction goal by 2015, it will be equivalent to:

• taking more than 3.8 million average cars off of the road for a year
• planting more than 181 million full grown trees

These emissions are also similar to what would be produced by:

• burning fossil fuels to power nearly 2.6 million U.S. homes for a year
• consuming nearly 2.3 billion gallons of gasoline. (All estimates based on EPA figures).

For more information, and to see Wal-mart CEO Mike Duke’s address to stakeholders, click here.

We’ve seen quite a few articles pop up about Pantone’s new iPhone app that gives access to their library of color. At first it had the initial “Great!” reaction, but then some of the pitfalls began to show their true colors—excuse the pun. Research done by VIGC showed that depending on which device you are using, the same Pantone color can look different on each device (above compares the Pantone 37-5-1 C on the iPhone 3G to the iPod Touch), which is different still compared to the GoeGuide seen below. Though to be fair, “Pantone does not represent the product as a precise color measuring tool” (graphicartsonline.com).  

For the reasons listed above, we often recommend color press proofs for labels that must match a certain color scheme. It is important that our customers realize the Pantone color they see on screen is usually very different from the actual Pantone color in a PMS book. Likewise, the printout from their laser or inkjet desktop printer may be different from both resources. With flexographic printing (which uses printing plates and ink stations), we can adjust color on press to match a Pantone color. In digital printing, this process is not so simple because the colors are all printed at once. A customer’s artwork file needs to be adjusted for color and then sent to the press for printing. Digital press proofs are printed using the exact HP Indigo equipment used to print your label order. These proofs are printed on the same material your labels will be printed on and can also be coated with UV varnish or lamination. So, as a customer, if you just want a dark blue without a specific Pantone match, you may forgo press proofs. However, if your logo is a specific shade of blue used among multiple products- then press proofs are the right option for you. When in doubt, get a press proof!  

Have you ever wondered how some businesses came up with their names? Or are you an entrepreneur trying to decide on the company or product name for your next venture? Well this slideshow proves that sometimes the biggest company names have come about pretty haphazardly. So when you and your partner are battling over whose name goes first, just flip a coin!

We came across one of the latest additions to Yankee Candle’s product line: Yankee Candle-opoly. It’s an obvious play on Monopoly, but we’re not sure exactly what the game is all about. Is French Vanilla the Park Place of Yankee Candle-opoly? Has any one else seen or heard more about this new product? Yankee’s description is below:

The ultimate fun game for fragrance lovers! Share all the enjoyment of a traditional property trading game while experiencing some delightfully fragrant twists along the way! Traditional play or one hour version, 2-6 players. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

I’m not sure what’s in the air, but it seems to be headline-making new packaging week! Big name brands are getting serious attention for their makeovers. In the iconic board game category, Monopoly has opted for a modern anniversary edition:

Hasbro has unveiled the design of the new 75th anniversary edition of their classic board game, Monopoly, set to hit stores in fall of 2010. "Monopoly: Revolution Edition" is slick and round instead of dull and square, with debit cards and an ATM instead of paper money and a banker, clear plastic representations of the classic tokens (bye-bye, little boot!), and clips of popular songs (like Rihanna’s "Umbrella," Daniel Powter’s "Bad Day," and Beyonce's "Crazy in Love") that play after certain actions.

I’m a huge fan of Monopoly, as well as The Game of Life, which is also available in the new, electronic version. On the plus side, the games capture more realistic budgeting scenarios and a digitalized economy. The musical addition to Monopoly, not currently a feature for The Game of Life, is also awesome. But there’s something about the classic game that has to be missed by old-school fans. And the banker has no way of accidentally slipping a few $20s into their own account (not that I have ever done anything like that).

When I say the word "lion" what comes to mind? Ferocious? Hunter? Animal? Scary? It is important that as designers, owners, or marketers of a product, we understand that our customers make these associations in their minds when they see our product packaging. It baffles me when companies spend so much time, energy and money on their product and then barely consider their product packaging. This is when I want to scream "WAKE UP! Your packaging is what sells your product!"
 
Think about your own personal experiences. What draws you to try a new product? Unless someone you know recommends the product to you, the packaging is what will drive you to purchase something new. Trust me, I'm a sucker for cool packaging. Not because it's my profession, but I always think the product in the metallic package or the one with an interesting caption will work better, taste better, and make me better. And you know what? Studies show this is the thought process for most consumers.
 
Here are 5 ways to make your item be the new product someone purchases this year.
 
1. Tell a story with your label. There is always a reason why your product exists or is unique compared to your competitors. Tell me why I, the consumer, should buy your product. Is your pasta sauce your grandmother's recipe handed down from generation to generation and you want to share it with me? If so, then I may think of my own grandmother and her home cooking and think "Forget about the Ragu, this pasta sauce is going to give me the warm feeling of grandma's homecooking." Does your product donate a profit to charity or have an eco-friendly element to it? If so, I'd be more apt to buy your product over a competitor's so I, too, may help fund a charity or help the environment. What if your product isn't so different from the competitors? You can still engage and get me to buy your product. A prime example of this is Vitamin Water. They tell funny, fictional stories on their infused drinks. This company is still fairly young in the soft drink market, yet their product contends with brands that have been around forever. 
 
2. Get your label in shape! Adding shape to your product packaging gives depth to your image. It draws the consumer in and makes them want to learn more. You can get your label in shape by using an irregular shaped product bottle and using a shrink sleeve label or using a regular shaped product container and using a custom-shaped die. Shrink sleeve labels are film sleeves that shrink to fit your product container. Nestle's Jamba Juice® uses this type of packaging. Custom -shaped labels are cut using unique dies.
 

3. Metallic labels. Using metallic in your label is a way to dress it up without needing to get too fancy with your entire packaging. Metallic can be incorporated into your design in a few different ways. Metallic film or paper coated stock will allow for your entire label background to be metallic. You can enhance or cover up the intensity of the metallic label by the type of ink you use in your artwork. For labels that only need a hint of metallic here and there in your artwork, you may use a regular material with metallic ink. This ink is laid down using plates that can be engraved into the pattern you'd like. For example, if you have a midnight sky in your design, your can use a plate engraved with stars to add gold stars to your design.
 
4. Invisible labels. By using a clear label on your glass or plastic bottle, you can utilize the product contents in your design as well as display your product. This technique gives the illusion of invisible labels. This concept works into your package design as well as provides the customer with pertinent product information. For customers that wish to get a silk screen effect without the high cost, clear labels are the way to go.

5. Add texture to your labels! 
Not all labels are smooth, glossy, and one-dimensional. Texture appeals not only to a customer's eyes, but also allows them to feel the difference when picking up your product compared to your competitor's. While embossing tools can raise parts of your design in the area(s) you choose, it can be a costly option as custom tools will need to be purchased. The most cost effective way to add texture to your entire label is by using a textured stock.
 
Click here to request samples of one or more of these design techniques! Please specify which technique(s) you are most interested in.

 Label & Narrow Web recently looked to industry experts for their article on short run labels and interviewed Dion Label Printing. The ability to affordably print short run orders has led to more opportunities for product manufacturers. Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

Stacy Santos, marketing manager for Dion Label Printing, Westfield, MA, USA, says the company takes into account the length of the run when deciding which printing process it’s going to use. In Dion’s case, short run jobs, among others, get moved to one of the company’s HP Indigo presses. "We decide whether a job will go digital or flexo based on the amount of footage we are going to run, the complexity of a customer’s label graphics and the number of SKUs in a particular run. About a third of our business is digital. We made the investment in digital in April 2005, and because our digital business grew so quickly, we invested in another HP Indigo digital press. And our digital operations have steadily grown over the years.

"Digital printing is perfect for multiple SKUs, low volume orders, promotional labels and prototyping," Santos says. "It’s a great way to offer high quality printing, complex graphics, and vibrant colors to customers that do not have large volume quantities. Our customers do not have to sacrifice label quality while keeping their inventories low."

Read the full article here!

UPDATE: Last week we wrote a blog about Blue Q products. We recently came across these videos of the Blue Q sales team. They are sure to put a smile on your face! And we're pretty sure we'd buy anything from them!

The first annual Dieline Awards have just been announced. Thedieline.com is a constant source of new and innovative design, and it only seems fit that they announce an international design competition in partnership with the FUSE Conference 2010. A total of 30 winners from 10 different categories will be chosen, along with a best of show winner. A panel of industry experts will judge submissions from the following categories: Food, Non-Alcoholic Beverage, Wine & Spirits, Bath, Beauty & Health, Home Care & Pets, Books, Office & Art Supplies, Electronics, Technology, Movies, CDs, and All Other Categories. Winners will be features on The Dieline and at the FUSE Conference, and the top 11 winners will receive a prize package reportedly worth over $4500. For more information on The Dieline Awards, click here!

Effective this week, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) calls for more stringent requirements for consumer products intended for children age 12 and under, specifically tracking labels:

According to a release from the CPSC, Manufacturers must place permanent distinguishing marks (tracking label) on any consumer product primarily intended for children 12 and younger made on or after August 14, 2009. The permanent marks must enable consumers to ascertain basic information, including the manufacturer or private labeler, location, the date of manufacture, and more detailed information on the manufacturing process such as a batch or run number. The permanent distinguishing marks must appear on the product itself and its packaging to the extent practicable.

The regulations are in place to increase consumer confidence. The tracking labels will allow better tracking in the event of a recall. Also included in the CPSIA are revised limits for lead content and advertising, as well as increases in fines and penalties for violations. These regulations take effect on August 14, 2009. Make sure your labels are in complaince! To request a quote from Dion Label Printing, click here!

For the full article from Packaging Digest, click here.

For those of you in the design field, or if you’re just generally intrigued by stylish packaging, take a look at these unique packaging concepts. The blog is run by a Brazilian-based team enthusiastic about design and the internet. Get inspired!