The end result – an innovative display of pre-form tubes, each housing a red and blue woven band with an engraved plate in celebration of the games.

A range of glossy counter-top units and dump bins printed with iconic images of team GB were developed to create a winning Olympic display which launched in January this year, in readiness for the Summer’s Games.

The brief for the packaging was to be cutting – edge and yet without losing the classic couture feel for which Rigby & Peller are known.   The company, which was established during the 1930s, by Mrs Rigby and Mrs Peller, has the Royal Warrant to make lingerie for the Royal family, an accolade of which it is rightly very proud. 

So, although the new packaging design needed to make a dramatic shift away from its traditional burgundy colour  in order to attract a slightly younger target market, it had to retain the same prestigious feel befitting of its exquisite lingerie, and of course its royal clientele. 

The result – a classic black ribbed, embossed paper, together with Rigby & Peller’s crested logo, emblazoned in gold foil to create the perfect blend of classic and modern. 

The new range consists of large and medium carriers, gift card box, as well as medium and large lingerie boxes –  all created to fit perfectly, the dimensions of the garments they were designed to hold.

Said Caroline Noble, Marketing Manager, and  project manager on the packaging relaunch;

“Keenpac has supported our packaging needs for a couple of years now and their friendly team has been flexible and accommodating throughout.  Rigby & Peller are very excited about the launch of our new range of carrier bags and gift boxes in 2012 which Keenpac have helped us to develop and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

As to what the Queen thinks of the new packaging….our lips are sealed!

Rigby & Peller will be appearing at London Fashion Weekend 23^rd – 26^th February 2012.

www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk

It is the annual showcase event, in which around 200 delegates from Disney’s suppliers around the world, come together to share Disney’s plans for the following year. The awards presentation is Disney’s way of giving special recognition to its top suppliers. Last year Keenpac was one of four companies to have been nominated for the award, giving recognition to its work on the Disney packaging range which is both sustainable and environmentally friendly.

This year, it was an outright win! Having worked with Disney for the last 6 years, Keenpac supplies a complete range of colourful Disney gift boxes and themed shoppers to Disney’s stores across Europe. The inks chosen for the boxes are natural soy, finished with a high gloss, yet environmentally friendly aqueous varnish. The end result – a 90% recycled box which is 100% recyclable.

Following the same eco-brief, Keenpac supplies a wide range of colourful shoppers each themed to Disney’s very latest film and DVD releases – The Lion King, Disney Princess, Alice in Wonderland, Cars and the very latest of course, The Muppets. Not surprisingly they’ve become a real hit with Disney fans, and because they’re made from recycled PET, produced from recycled plastic bottles, they’re kind to the environment too!

The Award was presented to Jim Maddison of Keenpac by Teresa Tideman, MD, The Disney Store Europe, and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse!!

 Said Jim Maddison, Keenpac’s National Account Manager for Disney; “What a result! There were only four categories in all, so for us to have won one was a great achievement. We always work hard on making the Disney packaging as environmentally friendly as possible, without losing its vibrancy, so we were thrilled that our efforts have been recognised by Disney.”

Staff from various departments swapped their usual office attire for pyjamas, and even a couple of ‘tigers’ were on site for this fantastic fund-raising occasion, which was all for a good ‘paws’.  There was also home baking on display for sale with various cakes and biscuits, and a raffle to win various prizes.

A big thank you to everyone who donated and took part, also to everyone who baked and brought cakes in to raise money .

This year sees Team Keenpac join the fun.  It’s early days, but already some interesting facial attire  has started to form on the upper lips of Keenpac’s boys.  We’d like to invite you to support them in their quest.   You can donate or find out more, by clicking here in our very own team page on the Movember website.  We’ll also post pictures of some their facial achievements live on our Twitter feed so you can follow them as they grow!

What is Virgin Paper?

It’s the name for paper that comes directly from sustainable sources like trees or plants without having been through a recycling process.

What gives paper its characteristics?

The different fibre lengths are mainly what give paper its different characteristics. Virgin pulp fibres can be anything in length from 5mm (those from the softwood trees of the north) to as little as 1mm (from hardwood trees of the temperate regions). The long fibres of the softwoods are perfect for making strong Kraft papers, compared to shorter hardwood fibres which help towards a nice smooth finish!

Where does recycled paper come from?

Recycled paper contains fibre from waste paper. It can often include a high proportion of ‘post-consumer waste’ which is paper that has already been used in its final form.

Is recycled paper as strong as virgin paper?

Not always. The recycling process is damaging to fibres, which lose strength when they have been recycled again and again. The more times a fibre is recycled, the shorter and weaker it becomes. For the best of both, recycled fibres can be added to a virgin pulp as a ‘mix’, offering the benefits of virgin with the lower cost of recycled. The mix can be varied to increase or decrease the characteristics of each.

Can recycled papers look as good as virgin paper?

Recycled papers are often slightly ‘off-white’ or grey in colour – a feature that’s created when the print or dyes in the original paper are mixedwith recyclate. Special additives can be used to remove the dyes, and achieve a similar visual appearance (if not strength) as a virgin paper.

Does the use of recycled paper protect trees?

One of the unique benefits of paper, is that the raw material is renewable. The paper industry has a number of certification schemessuch as the FSC that ensure the source of the paper we use is being renewed. Using recycled paper won’t necessarily save trees, but it does ensure we use the fibre more efficiently.

For a packaging designer ‘the reveal’ is all about creating layers to help build expectation. Luckily we have an endless array of packaging types and materials in our armoury to help us achieve this. Tissue or pouches, boxes or bags, stickers and ribbons, there is a packaging accessory outthere for every reveal!

 We of course, have to be careful not to over-package. But we have to look at things in the context of expectation. If you’re spending a great deal of money on a luxury item, you’d rightly expect a little more care and attention in the presentation. No one would expect an expensive watchto be presented in some bubble wrap and poly bag! Finding the right balance is crucial. Unwrapping the gift shouldn’t become a chore, and yet the designer must also ensure that the reveal has simplicity, quality and detail appearing almost tailored to each individual consumer.

 And what of the internet? Many luxury retailers see the opportunity the internet creates as part of a multichannel offering, and yet how can they create the same experience at home as in-store? The answer could be right there, in the power of the reveal – using the packaging itself to create the experience.

For more then 30 years we at Keenpac have been helping our clients achieve the reveal, but we don’t stop there. We are always on the lookout for more innovative ideas.

Is colour really so important? People react strongly to visual stimuli, which is one reason why colour plays such a vital role in branding. For example, children react well to primary colours as their ‘colour associations’ are still being formed. Look at Disney, their characters are always bold and strong in colour – you don’t see many subtly coloured Princess dresses! Instead, characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck or even Buzz Lightyear are formed using a handful of core shades that are simple for the child to understand.

What about colour and emotions? It’s no accident that celebrities sit in a green room before appearing on TV. According to ‘colour psychology’ we feel more relaxed when we sit in a room painted green; we perform better in gyms painted blue; and red is frequently used in fast food outlets as it increases our heart rate and ensures we eat quickly!

So, what’s the best way to pick a colour? It’s very subjective – one man’s pink is another man’s cerise. So, rather than rely on ‘colour names’ we use Pantone References. Developed in America in the 1950s, the Pantone system uses 15 base pigments that are mixed in various ratios to create individual shades. Think of it as a recipe that’s been created for most shades of colour. That recipe is then set in stone and allocated a Pantone Number (PMS) that is recognised around the world.

So, the Pantone Number should look exactly the same every time it’s printed? Not every time. That should be the case, but there are a few other factors to consider. For example, colours look different in various light sources and when printed on different substrates; colours produced by an uncalibrated monitor or printer will vary from the final professionally printed article; and even the angle at which you hold something can alter the way your eye absorbs that specific shade of colour. Additional finishes such as OPP laminates or varnishes can also change the final colour.

Does it matter which print method I pick? Absolutely! Different print methods, be it litho, flexo, pad or silk screen can result in different amounts of ink being laid down and absorbed. Even during a print run, colour can vary. A printer will usually disregard the first 20-40 prints as the rollers will not be fully coated or ‘charged’ with ink. So the first edition is normally put in the bin! At the same time, ink is constantly assessed during a large print run to ensure its density does not alter, as this can result in a darker shade of the same colour being created.

How does Keenpac ensure the colour is always consistent? We take this part of our role very seriously. Sampling is very important. By having a signed off sample, a consistent D65 standard light source for measurement, and the correct colours or proofs in front of us as well as the product specification, we can make our checks as accurate as possible, and help remove some of the subjectivity. We even have a controlled area where we store our samples, to eliminate the possibility of colours being affected by light and atmospheric conditions.

My final thoughts? Well, I would say have fun with colour. Retailers like Paul Smith and Selfridges use colour as part of their brand identity. Others like Apple have opted purely for white to deck out their retail stores. But one thing is for sure, whatever your colour, we’lldo our utmost to ensure it stays the same - every time!

I have found it a little difficult to decide what our blog should be about!  Should it be fun and light-hearted or more serious and factual?  

Well, on balance, I think it should be all those and more. Mostly though since we’re a packaging company, it should be about one subject. Packaging.  More to the point it should be about luxury packaging; how it is made, designed, shipped, stored, loved, mistreated and also, how it affects our lives.

Now don’t worry, we are not so packaging obsessed that we can’t throw in some other fun bits and pieces that are happening around Keenpac and the wider world! For instance Keenpac are taking part in the ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ that is in aid of Macmillan Nurses.

If you fancy getting your workplace involved and arranging your own coffee morning for Macmillan you can do so by clicking here.  Be quick though there is not long left as the event takes place on the  30^th September 2011.

At this point I should probably throw in some information about me.  As some of you will know, I have been with Keenpac for just over 3 years and in that time I have achieved my Packaging Technology qualification from The Packaging Society.

But I am also a packaging designer and have been working in that role for the last six years, having taught myself the necessary software needed to design packaging, including Adobe Creative Suite and Cinema 4D,  and after being thrown in at the deep end during my previous job!

Further back I started out working for a local rigid box factory just after I left school and I worked there on the manufacturing side of things for nearly 10 years.  So,  using the 16 or so years I have had in the luxury packaging sector, the experience I have of hands-on manufacturing, the experience of packaging design and now packaging technology I try to design packaging that is fit for purpose, designed for manufacture and is of course beautiful!

My role also takes on a consultation angle with people coming to me with their questions about packaging, materials and the environment and I also look at the technical side of things and help write specifications for products and AQL’s for QA, as well as being able to get out and about to meet customer to take briefs or conduct an e-commerce audit (more about those in a later blog I think). So I am lucky to be able to say I have a very varied role and it keeps me very busy!

So that’s it for now I think. Keep your eye out on the website for future blogs, not just from myself but other Keenpac employees, each an expert in their own roles (thought I should include some self-promotion!).

 Also watch out for upcoming editions of the Keenpac magazine In-Detail, or our e-mailers in which we try and give you a snapshot of what is going on around here. If you would like to receive either of these or the latest Keenpac ‘Collections’ booklet then please register here 

Hopefully you will find the blog fun, light hearted and most of all informative.  Let us have your comments!

Pete Nicholls

Packaging Designer & Technologist