The competition forms part of the university’s BA (Hons) Graphic Design course, aiming to put the students’ skills to the test with a challenging brief. This year, the students were tasked with creating standout luxury packaging for the fragrance sector, using materials from Antalis’ paper and paperboard ranges.
The Smart Luxury Packaging – Fragrances brief required students to explore how to create standouts on the shelf, reflect luxury in packaging design, and communicate a message of sustainability through the packaging concept. The three projects that best met the brief were awarded gold, silver and bronze from the submissions received. “From the quality of the entries, it’s clear that the industry's future is in safe hands!” commented Brief Cases’ Veronica Heaven.
A judging panel of four industry professionals reviewed entries according to relevant criteria, including packaging design, recognising opportunity, impact, commercial viability, brand strength and presentation. ‘Wash Brook’, submitted by student Erin Lemon and inspired by her great grandpa’s story as the head herdsman of the largest milking Jersey cow herd in the British Isles, was chosen as the winning entry from a strong shortlist of seven submissions. Silver was awarded to student Fred Foulkes with his scented hand cream concept ‘Thieves’, inspired by 14th-century folklore of a band of thieves who used essential oils to ward off the Black Plague; and in Bronze place was Charlotte Griffiths with ‘Ligaya’, a luxury fragrance concept inspired by the Philippines.
The winning entry, ‘Wash Brook’ is a packaging concept for a scented bath soak containing daisy, clover and Jersey cow’s milk. It is presented in a traditional glass milk bottle with a cork stopper and printed label made of Olin Colours Black 240gsm. The bottle is presented in a gift box made of Eska Greyboard 1420gsm/2250mic wrapped in Olin Colours Black 240gsm. A postcard insert, printed on Olin Brilliant White 400gsm, features a black and white photograph of Jersey cows on one side and a note handwritten by Erin’s grandmother on the other. UV varnish on white screen printing enhances contrast and adds texture.
Speaking of their experience working on the competition brief, the students added:
Erin Lemon: “The project has provided insight into working with a client and suiting their specific requirements. Antalis’ support and informative review of my designs pushed the outcome further, introducing me to a plethora of paper substrates. My knowledge of material integrity, production methods, and environmental impact has developed greatly.”
Fred Foulkes: “It was a pleasure working with Antalis and understanding the involvement of many materials that can be used in packaging design and other possible design briefs, such as editorially related work and interactive posters. This task has been very insightful and helpful in the future I want to pursue, I am very glad to be part of this!”
Charlotte Griffiths: “I loved the brief set by Brief Cases for us; it was something new and exciting to work on. Working with Antalis encouraged me to elevate my ideas by making me consider how my design would work on shelves and in stores and what its environmental impacts would be, especially when choosing paper stock options. Antalis had an amazing range of examples, and I learned much about the different paper stocks and finishes.”
Graphical Board Development Manager at Antalis, Steve Chappell, said, “Once again, we’ve been delighted and impressed by the entries received. They show a great understanding of the important role substrate choice plays in packaging design.”
Veronica Heaven, founder of Brief Cases, says: “Each year, I’m impressed by the ingenuity, research, and skill the students demonstrate when creating their entries for this competition. The hands-on experience it gives them at each stage of the packaging design and production process, from sourcing substrates to liaising with printers, is invaluable in helping them transition from education to work.”
For more information, please visit www.antalis.co.uk.