Innovation Theft and Land Speed Records: What Do They Have in Common? At first glance, innovation and design theft might seem worlds apart from the high-octane realm of land speed records, but bear with me—there’s is a connection. This week, I saw a post on LinkedIn from a packaging expert who I not long connected with. I thought the content looked familiar and could see they had “drawn...
How small changes drive big impact – Multi-Depth Creasing Over the past three decades, I have written protocols, developed equipment, and supported the construction of three e-commerce supply chain testing laboratories. This has enabled me to conducted some 5,000+ tests for e-commerce packaging, many of which involved focused studies into best practices for structural design. In this one...
How Small Changes Drive Big Impact – Offset Slots In today’s landscape, where sustainability and cost-efficiency are absolutely paramount, it’s crucial to optimise your e-commerce packaging so you can remain competitive as an online retailer. This will become even more relevant with new regulations like PPWR looming in the not so distant future, requiring minimal use of materials and...
Why Channel-Specific Solutions Outperform Adapted Designs With the focus of many e-commerce retailers still heavily on optimisation and sustainability, now feels like the right time to address a topic that has been a slow burning frustration for me over the past four years: adapted corrugated packaging solutions for e-commerce… Understanding Adapted Solutions Before diving deeper into my...
The Genius of Lego Play Day: Lessons in Innovation The annual Lego Play Day on June 11th, 2024, had me reflecting on the topic of innovation and why Lego’s approach is not only different, but I would go so far as to say, genius. As children, we played with unbounded imagination, where ten small Lego bricks could transform in our mind into an plane, a truck, a house, or even a castle. As a...
As we approach the end of the year, it’s that time again… no, not to make new year resolutions that will be broken before the end of January, but predictions for trends in the new year. 2023 brought significant challenges for many However, whilst there may be still further challenges ahead, they always create opportunities for those willing to be agile, dynamic and innovative. So where are the...
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** As a child, I remember the excitement building during the run up to the festive period, not being able to wait until the big day and when my parents left the room, sneaking over to the tree and examining the wrapped gifts in detail. Were they heavy, light, overall size, did it have cut outs, or a shape that might give away...
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** Whilst there are greater complexities in the e-commerce Life Cycle and an increased number of touch points compared to Bricks & Mortar, with the right tools, knowledge, expertise and innovation methods, your packaging ‘Sweet Spot’can be found. Corrugated cardboard and the first box designs were created over 100 years ago...
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** Evolution of e-commerce in 25 years: towards sustainable packaging Gavin Mounce, e-commerce Design Manager at DS Smith shares his thoughts on the importance of sustainability in this rapidly growing channel and what part the creative community have to play in shaping the future and helping to protect our environment. Waste...
** An article written for DS Smith as the e-commerce Design Manager ** In this article, I explore ‘How can packaging increase your sales capacity and profits during peak season?’ DS Smith design expert, Gavin Mounce, explores the important role packaging solutions play and how they can make a significant difference in your sales capacity and profitability during one of the busiest E...
