Packaging innovation has long been a magnet for bold ideas. At its best, it’s brilliant: grabbing attention, opening minds, and setting new creative benchmarks. Showpiece designs can spark conversation, attract investment, and help make packaging part of cultural discourse, not just the supply chain. But in recent years, we’ve seen a shift. More concepts are grabbing headlines than solving headaches. More designs are picking up awards for aesthetics than delivering answers.
From our vantage point at London Packaging Week, curating packaging events across Europe and watching thousands of innovations come to market, it’s clear that we are approaching a tipping point. Somewhere along the way, the idea of innovation became entangled with performance. Not technical performance, but theatre. Packaging designed to impress, provoke and delight, even if it adds complexity without solving a real-world problem.
“Gone are the days of conventional packaging and design methods,” says Lisa Cain, Technical Manager at Smurfit Westrock. “Thanks to social media, ‘shareable’ packaging has moved front and centre in every brief. But great package design isn’t just about creating viral moments; it must solve real-world frustrations. Too often, the hunt for virality trips on practical demands - from jammed production lines to unrecyclable materials destined for landfill and customers who simply won’t return. Real innovation smooths out everyday headaches instead of staging another theatrical stunt for the online crowd.”
It’s a sentiment echoed across the industry. Boma Krijgsman, Brand & Marketing Manager at JDO, is frank: “Yes - and the cost is credibility. We’ve ended up in a place where ‘innovation’ often means ‘make it look weird and hope it wins an award.’ But novelty isn’t innovation. Real innovation is solving a challenge in a way that sticks - whether that’s making packaging easier to recycle, cheaper to produce, or smarter in how it serves a global brand portfolio. When we prioritise visual disruption without substance, we create clutter, not progress.”
This disconnect between surface-level theatre and substantive impact is only widening. “There’s a lot of ‘ta-da!’ energy in the industry right now,” Krijgsman adds. “Concepts that look great in press shots but would fall apart in a real supply chain. The renders are beautiful, the storytelling is slick - but when you peel it back, there’s no actual solution, just an expensive prototype that never makes it to shelf.”
From wow to why
Cain agrees, pointing to a shift in how packaging design is being recognised. “There has been an explosion of niche packaging awards over the last decade. Some focus on sustainability, others on structural design or digital engagement. In the early days, you could win an award by mastering just one pillar. Today’s judges, however, expect designs that tick every box: a low-carbon footprint, crystal-clear consumer cues, a compelling brand narrative and credible end-of-life recycling. Awards now reward the teams that think holistically, embedding circularity and storytelling into every concept, regardless of the award’s original theme.”
But not all awards are equal - and not all judges look beyond the surface. “Awards are great - we love recognition,” Krijgsman says. “But when the metrics are based on ‘wow factor’ alone, we’re missing the point. The danger is that we’re designing for the jury, not for the job. The brands we work with don’t just want pretty pictures, they want impact. They want consistency across markets. They want ROI.”
The risk, according to Claire Hoe, Design Director at Sun Branding, is that some brands chase trends with too little strategic thinking. “When we talk about trends, sometimes brands follow them just for the sake of it, which can be a trap. You have to ask yourself: does your pack really need to look or be in that format? Are there other ways to draw attention to your brand besides the packaging itself?”
Hoe points to novelty formats as a perfect example of context-driven success - or failure. “Novelty packaging often works better for gifting. For example, Benefit Cosmetics’ Christmas calendar had a retro food-pack look that was eye-catching and perfectly suited to the occasion, but they wouldn’t carry that style across their core lines. It was relevant and timely.”
That situational awareness is key. Hoe emphasises that when designing for clients, it’s not just about pushing boundaries, but understanding priorities. “For some brands, aesthetics are paramount; for others, inclusivity, accessibility, and supply chain considerations come first, especially to ensure durability and usability.”
Design that just works
One brand getting this balance right, Hoe says, is Tilt. “From the opening experience of the box - easy opening, Braille on the front - down to the mascara or lipstick, there’s an easy grip with chunky handles and magnetic closures for refillable items. Tilt is worth checking out because these elements are not only on-trend but serve a real purpose. It’s all about inclusivity, and they’re doing a brilliant job.”
Packaging that resonates must therefore do more than grab attention; it needs to function. “Packaging designers and brands face a difficult conundrum,” says Cain. “Should they prioritise functional packaging or aesthetic appeal? Too often these goals are pitched as opposing forces, when in fact they must work together.”
Krijgsman agrees. “False choice. We shouldn’t have to pick between good-looking and good-working. Great design does both. At JDO, we’re big believers in beauty with purpose — it’s not enough for something to be eye-catching if it’s also creating headaches in production or contributing to landfill.”
Cain adds: “Balanced correctly, packaging can be both consumer-centric and highly functional. That balance depends on a clear understanding of customer needs and preferences, ergonomics, materials, and production costs. A flawless opening mechanism or sturdy seal means nothing if the design blows the budget or fails on the production line, and eye-catching graphics can’t redeem a pack that frustrates customers or undermines profitability.”
Real-world conditions often get left out of the early-stage creative thinking. Hoe notes how the best briefs consider format alongside the whole consumer experience from the outset. “The most successful projects happen when we can influence format decisions early in the process,” Hoe explains. “The best briefs consider visual aesthetics, form and function together - creating solutions that stand the test of time. There's tremendous momentum around sustainability and recyclability, and there’s an opportunity to extend that holistic approach into format innovation as well.”
That makes collaboration critical. “Designing for reality starts with humility,” says Krijgsman. “It means asking the awkward questions early: How will this run on existing lines? Can this material handle temperature changes in transit? Will this design work across markets with different recycling systems? And then being brave enough to ditch the ego and find smarter solutions.”
True innovation, Cain notes, is not something you put on a pedestal. “It never lives behind glass. It proves itself on production lines and in everyday life by using single material formats that fit existing machinery and local recycling streams, by adopting business models that turn empty jars into reloadable assets, and by driving collaboration between brands, NGOs, and regulators so every pilot becomes tomorrow’s standard.”
This kind of innovation doesn’t always look flashy. In fact, it often looks simple. “It looks like simplification, not complication,” says Krijgsman. “True innovation is the bottle that uses less plastic, not more storytelling. It’s the system change that helps a brand shift to mono-materials without losing its identity. It’s design that flexes across SKUs and geographies, saving cost and reducing carbon. And crucially, it’s innovation born from collaboration between strategy, design, R&D, supply chain, and sustainability teams.”
Hoe adds that some of the best work comes not from budget-heavy innovation briefs, but from navigating limitations. “Design challenges like print or colour restrictions can be frustrating, but they also spur creativity. With more claims and recycling messages moving to the front of packs, we’re finding ways to integrate these visually without compromising design.”
Sometimes, clarity is the innovation. “Years ago, we joked that so much information needed to go on the front of packs that designing anything would be impossible,” Hoe recalls. “But now, look at M&S cereals: the honesty and transparency in their packaging is clear, with a list right on the front, yet it still looks good. It’s about creatively adapting constraints to maintain visual appeal.”
It’s a reminder that the most effective packaging doesn’t shout. It simply works for the user, the brand, and the world it sits in. And as Cain puts it, “In 2025, the real winners will be those who solve everyday headaches and still manage to stop you in your tracks.”
Make it matter
So where do we go from here? “Brands need to be honest, transparent, and genuinely connect with consumers,” says Hoe. “With so much confusion about trust, packaging that is joyful, positive, uplifting, and clear about ingredients and sourcing stands out.”
In the end, perhaps the challenge is less about making packaging “innovative” and more about making it matter. Not just in pitch decks or award reels, but in everyday life. As Krijgsman puts it: “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel for headlines. We just need to make the damn wheel roll better.”
At London Packaging Week, we encounter hundreds of innovations every year. Some are fleeting. Others leave a mark. The ones that stick are usually the ones that start small, focus on function and grow with scale. They don’t rely on theatre to earn attention. They earn their place by solving problems, not staging them.
Innovation that matters doesn’t just impress. It endures. And for an industry facing pressure on all sides, from regulation and climate to cost and consumer trust, that endurance is everything. Not illusion. Not performance. But lasting, measurable impact.