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The winners and finalists have been chosen: young students from Germany, Austria, Poland and Sweden, along with their lecturers, were honoured for their brilliant ideas on 20 September 2018 in front of the collective cartonboard and carton industry. All ten finalists were there to share a moment of great emotion in the wonderful old city of Riga on the Baltic Sea.
Over 400 entries and the participation of 50 design schools from 21 countries highlight the importance of the Pro Carton Young Designers Award in European design education.
The main prize for the four category winners is a visit to the Metsä Board Mill in Finland as well as practical training at the international carton producer Mayr-Melnhof Packaging in Austria. In addition all the finalists and tutors enjoyed a two night expenses paid trip to the Latvian capital and the ECMA Congress Gala dinner.
The prize winners and finalists, will gain wide exposure as they are promoted widely through the trade and specialist media as well as being featured at trade shows across Europe.
Public participation in the public voting was also very high and the students and their fans ensured a lively exchange on the various social media platforms. This year the Public Award went to Stefan Pfister with “disctwist”.
Prize winners and finalists and what they have to say about their success:
Winner Creative Cartonboard Packaging Food & Drink
Björkö Duo Bag
Designer: Desiré Persson, Alva Nyström, Erika Svensson
“Our concept was to go against the norms of the classic packaging of premium vodka and to give the consumer an unforgettable unboxing experience. The key challenges have been to use the right material for the right parts in the construction.
The Pro Carton Young Designers Award has given us a huge confidence boost as young packaging designers and given us an opportunity to show what we can do.”
The jury said: This is definitely one of those ‘not seen that before’ concepts. A real feat of carton structural engineering that if commercialised would be one of the most impactful in-store.
Winner Creative Cartonboard Packaging All – excluding Food & Drink
Save the trip
Designer: Marie Falk
“I wanted to create an environmentally friendly package with a purpose. I looked to find a need and a solution, with sustainability in focus. I also wanted the pack to be practical and optimised to distribute. I came up with a concept that challenges one of today’s habits – to give kids unhealthy food while travelling. The main focus has been to create an appealing package that is not only sustainable but could also keep a child occupied while sitting in a car or a train and offer them good food.
I can’t believe I’ve been lucky enough to win for a second time, I know the impact of this award and what it can do for all the finalists. I’ve already made a lot of new contacts and now have a greater opportunity to create even more innovative packages.”
The jury said: This concept is appealing on many levels: well considered and backed up with excellent graphic communication. Problem found – problem solved.
Winner Save the Planet
SD Burst
Designer: Alexander Böhringer
“I was annoyed by the blister package of the SD-Card I ordered online. It was way too big for its content and hard to open. Therefore I was looking for a recyclable solution. The key challenge was to fit everything on such a small template.
Being a young designer it’s really important to get to know the industry. I’m happy to have this chance of peeking into international relations. Being invited to the Award will I hope open up doors for future projects or internships.”
The jury said: A well thought through idea, carefully constructed yet a simple idea. In fact, this was a total presentation with complementary graphics to help the overall concept.
Winner Creative Cartonboard Ideas
Updo – Hair Accessoire
Designer: Christina Leurer
“Every time I look in a fashion magazine, I see hair accessories made from plastics. The idea was to create simple hair accessories made from cartonboard instead of plastic that is simple to handle. The challenge was to create a hair accessory from cartonboard that really fixes all type of hairstyles (short, long, curly, straight, etc.), without the cracking of the cartonboard. With every single idea of creating a packaging with cartonboard and without plastic, we can get to a better future.
Winning this Award is one of the best compliments someone can give to you and you know that it was the right decision to study design. I want to thank my teachers for their support.”
The jury said: This is indeed a new and creative but also a cost-effective solution for an everyday use. Add to that the impact of seeing such a product on display, then you have a total offering.
Finalists
Get Inside
Designer: Tamara Bijelic, Anna Roschker
“We developed the idea from the simple thought of the female sexuality and how it is presented. Since many women experience a slight feeling of embarrassment when it comes to buying sex toys we tried to think of a pack that would let them be proud of themselves. Also, when we think of classic sex toy packaging, they are usually very simple with little creativity whatsoever. One of the most difficult processes was getting the carton shape right. It took a lot of development time to work out how this distinctive shape might work.”
Nutsss
Designer: Martin Wunner
“The main part of the development was trying out new opening mechanisms and letting myself be guided by designs that weren’t necessarily restricted by a purpose. They should just be new, interesting and fun to interact with. Then afterwards, I associated the look of the prototype with a snake, because of the pointed flaps, and streamlined it in that way. The main challenge was to get the proportions and the general feel of the packaging right. The box should be handy to use, but also associated with a snake at first sight.”
Papp a smile
Designer: Helena Spindler
“My idea is influenced by my love of photography. It is always hard to get the little ones to look towards the camera. When you are behind the camera, you cannot easily entertain the children to make them look in your direction. My idea solves the problem inexpensively and in a fun way. And carton is a great material for me because of his interactivity – people can draw and write on it, the shape is changed easily by folding or cutting.
Pro Carton’s choice of me being a finalist gives me confidence in my ability. The prize is not just a nice trip (which is really awesome) but it is long lasting in terms of self-esteem, reputation, networking and experience.”
Pop-up package project and branding of Gwiezdne Mleczko
Designer: Karolina Jakubowska
“The basic objective of my design was to create a pop-up box. The whole pop-up structure is based on two v-folds, which move the wings inside. The customer, after opening the box, is surprised by the fact that the wings show the contents of the box. This type of product is typically purchased after just one viewing, so a good first impression is crucial. This original pop-up box includes moving parts which provide a unique experience. In addition, it is a great base for building original marketing content and social media.”
Soph Essence Hexagon Packaging Design
Designer: Matthias Mayr, Christoph Hofer
“The main idea was to create a packaging design that protects delicate products in an efficient, elegant and simple way. Right from the start, our motto has been ”Less is more“. So first we thought about simple geometric forms which would be ideal to protect the product. For us, the hexagon shape seemed unusual and different from common everyday packaging designs. In the beginning we tried many solutions which were too complicated to assemble. Through trial and error, we found a solution that is only made out of one sheet.”
Tüta Frutta
Designer: Sarah Filipová
“The supermarket is one of the places that has to change its use of plastics. Especially when you look at the most natural goods (like fruits and vegetables), you don’t want to see them wrapped up in plastics. They have to be cherished and treated with respect. The main challenges were to create a web robust enough to hold fruits, and also staying true to the characteristics of cartonboard as a material and at the same time combining a web with a new and attractive design to look at. This whole thing is not only about cartonboard,it is about finding new solutions to common problems.”
